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Caraballo Band
Members
- Henry Hannibal Mark
(bass, saxophone, backup vocals)
- David Rollock
(rhythm guitar, bass, backup vocals)
- Mickey Maharajh
(lead guitar)
- Peter Carasquero
(drums, backup vocals)
- Bobby J Hobson (lead
vocals, drums, percussion)
- Mal Maharajh
(keyboards, backup vocals)
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“I got into my first band,
here in Winnipeg, shortly after I arrived.
It was called the Bridge band - they named
it after the bridge at BDI on Jubilee. I
got hired as a drummer, within months of
my arrival, and we played at the St.
Charles hotel which was a local hangout
for musicians.” It was there that Bobby
said he met Mickey who played guitar with
the Caraballo band. “He liked my
performance on drums and invited me to
join their band in the summer of 1975.
That was where Bobby would thrive as a
musician becoming first, the lead singer
for the band, and when the drummer left,
he became both the drummer and the lead
singer. The Caraballo band, one of the
most popular bands in the 70’s, played
reggae, calypso, funk, soul, pop and top
40 music. Their popularity and demand for
their stage performances gave them the
opportunity to be booked for 51 weeks out
of the year, only taking a break for
Christmas.
Bobby said “they were looking for a
drummer and they also knew that I could
sing. Some of the venues we performed at
include, the Grant Hotel, MontCalm Hotel
on Pembina, Curtis Hotel, down Henderson
Highway, Assiniboine Hotel, on west
Portage Ave, Airliner Hotel on Ellice Ave
and many other venues in the city.”
The Caraballo later changed its name to
the Main Express band and Bobby said he
remained the front man as the band also
had some showing in town. “We played at
two pavilions in Folklorama – the
Afro-Caribbean and the Trinidadian
pavilions".
Excerpt from MUSIC
IS THE FOOD OF SOUL as
published online at Prairie African July
31, 2021
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