Chris Fox was born George Christopher Fox on Long Island on January 4^th 1944, at the age of 10/11 the family moved to Nassau and Fox attended Southern Senior School where he was taught music by Mr. Timothy Gibson. Chris spent the majority of his upbringing in Nassau (Fox, 2015). It is here where he attended both Southern Junior & Senior High School, where his passion for music was fostered and nurtured, allowing him to be the first Bahamian to attend Berklee College of Music. 

Fox receiving his degree from Lee Berk, 1978

Fox grew up listening to the musical styling of Freddie Munnings Sr, George Symonette, Blind Blake, Tony Seymour, Ray Munnings “Funky Nassau” and Smoky 007. Fox started off playing the guitar he recounts 

“I didn't get into music cause of the first song I remembered hearing, because the music at that time was guitar. I sat on long island, and on long island my uncle had a guitar and he would never let me play it.  So what I would do is get the repellent, some kind of can (spray can) and I would put nylon string on it, then put a piece of head on it and then make my own guitar.  So that’s what got me into music, not song, the love for the guitar.” (Fox, 2015)

After leaving high school Fox performed a clubs around Nassau including the La Cabaret Theater on Paradise Island (Fox, 2015). The theater became his main spot, it was from working there that he made the funds to go to Berklee to study music, it was upon his graduation from Berklee that his career really started.

After graduating Fox traveled with his old group the Mighty Makers for a few years and performed with them he recalls, “All over the United States, all kind of places. Canada, US, places like that, and then in Nassau we played all over the place like the Trade winds lounge and Paradise Island and other places. Usually our group the Mighty Makers” (Fox, 2015), then went solo around 1984. After leaving the group he recorded his first album “My whole life is music” in 1985 (Fox, 2015). Fox mentions that he got his music influences from the styling of Quincy Jones and Freddie Munnings Sr. who he recalls really influenced him to go to Berklee 

“he use to have this orchestra in the 70s, he had it to the cat and fiddle and he use to bring all the tops styles from away and his orchestra use to play in Oliver and he really influenced me to get into music and that’s how I really got to go to Berklee. I wanted to do the kind of stuff he did, write music for big orchestras and stuff” (Fox, 2015)

 His education in music really put his career in full force Fox became the first Bahamian to graduate from Berklee College of Music and the first Bahamian to lead an orchestra in La Cabaret Theater he recalls the experience “But they had a white orchestra from England, Don Reagan use to be in charge of the orchestra, so after they went the producers asked me to put an orchestra together for the show. So that’s how I became the first Bahamian to lead an orchestra in the La Cabaret Theater” (Fox, 2015). Throughout his career Fox described his top 2 favorite performances:

“I guess my recital at Berklee College of Music. I was the first Bahamian to graduate from Berklee College of Music so the room was full up of people wanting to see who this first Bahamian was.  So to me, I’m believing that one was and one on Paradise Island called my whole life is music with all my original songs. I wrote about 20 songs in all I wrote for the show.  So I had all the Bahamians, all the top artist like King Eric, Smokey 007, you name it and they came to perform my songs.  So those two, I’ll remember those two.  The one at Berklee and the one on Paradise Island.”

Fox has written over 100 original songs, he has produced 10 albums all of his own and produced music albums for some Bahamian stars like Ronnie Butler, he’s also a writer and has a book that will be released soon call “In Pursuit of excellence” (Fox, 2015). 

Fox resides at Nirvana,Love Beach and runs the Chris Fox Musical Institute where he does everything music from teaching classes to private lessons, sight readings for choirs, vocal training and more. Fox also has a band call the Nirvana Express who is currently participating in the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Competition. 

John Berkley Taylor was born June 20^th 1935 in Nassau Bahamas, he spent his early childhood trotting curiously about the areas of Nassau where music lived. Thanks to Paul Meeres Peanuts’ singing and dancing was given center stage at the tender age of four (Justilien, 2004). Taylor got his career started through Meeres, he recalls:

 “I started entertaining when I was 4 years old, with Paul Meeres.  And Paul Meeres opened his club in 1939 and it was called the Paul Meeres Club, and I started there” (Taylor, 2015)

He was walking by Paul Meeres’ club “Carbaret” where Meeres was rehearsing for an upcoming show, Peanuts shouted “I can sing and dance better than you!” and Meeres replied “A little peanut like you?” He asked peanuts to show him what he could do and at the moment a legend was born (Justilien, 2004). Peanuts reflected on his first performance:

“You have to remember that because in my first performance when I told Paul Meeres that I wanted to be a dancer and dance better than he can, and he told me why don’t I show him.  So he put me on the show and the people started throwing money, and instead of dancing I went and picked up the money. That was a good experience” (Taylor, 2015)

After that Taylor performed with Paul Meeres up until he was 19 years old at the many clubs that Meeres had around Nassau at the time. Initial Taylor was a singer and a dancer then he moved to the drums, he explained he doesn’t remember how he learned to play:

 “I don’t remember, I just picked up a drum and started playing.  But that’s not hard because we have Junkanoo and that is a lot of drumming. My first trip abroad was to Bermuda, I played at the Hotel in Bermuda” (Taylor, 2015).

When asked about the challenges of his career Taylor explained that:

“I never thought about challenges because it was a chance in those days just to work and be appreciated by the audience.  Don’t forget, when I started Nassau only operated three months a year a tourist spot.  The challenge was to be able, because I had to get an education.  I had a little deal with my grandmother, but if she allowed me to perform at the age of four, I would get a proper education.  So my challenge first of all was to be able to perform and also go to school to get a proper education.  So I went to school and graduated to be a teacher and then I found out I could not make any big money like I did in the entertainment industry. So after I worked as a teacher for a year” (Taylor, 2015)

Taylor’s career really took off in 1952 when he was asked by the Ministry of Tourism to travel the world and promote The Bahamas as a tourist destination. Taylor further explains that time:

“First of all I was hired by the Ministry of tourism to promote tourist to the Bahamas.  Because at that time he Bahamian tourist market only went from December to April, yeah from Christmas until April and then the whole town would close up, with nothing going on here no tourist, no people. We’d call it the winter season crowd. So the government at that time at me if I would go away and promote tourist to the Bahamas, because there desire was to make the Bahamas a year round Tourist destination.  So I went abroad, I went to Canada 5 times I went to the Middle East, Iran, and Turkey all over the place that area where they’re having all the problems now.  I went to Germany dozens of times because BOAC used to run between Nassau and London, and they had another airline called International Air Bahamas that used to run from Europe into Nassau, it was very very very cheap and we went abroad entertain in Germany and all over Europe, the people came to the Bahamas by way of international air Bahamas or BOAC” (Taylor, 2015)

From his travels he was exposed to the world which now became his stage, Taylor recalls some notable names from his career:

“And then I was introduced to Hollywood California where I got a job working at Quiro’s Hollywood California. I got a job to work there after leaving Bermuda, I went to Quiro’s in Hollywood and worked there about three or four months and performed with Nat King Cole, the Mills Brothers, that’s how I became famous”

His slight frame was captured hypnotically under the glare of lights in the following guest appearances throughout 1957: “The Steve Allen Show”, “The Jack Parr Show”, “The Ed Sullivan Show”, “The Johnny Carson Show” and “The I’ve Got A Secret Show” (Justilien, 2004).  He also performed for a whopping audience of 32,000 people in Earl’s Court, London which he described as his favorite performance:

“A benefit for the whole island, like the Bahamas, in London, Haynes Oval. And they built like an island, where they had sailboats and everything, and I went there, and also a sales promotion team for The Bahamas also played there” (Taylor, 2015)

Today Peanuts still performs today at Cultural Festivals and other events upon request, when asked if he retired he said:

“No. Entertainers don’t retire, if you say you are retired then you are just talking out of your head. As long as the people appreciate you, you won’t retire, it’s a beautiful life” (Taylor, 2015)