The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2025 - Issue 37

bitemusic W hile burying her father in Jamaica in 2024, Liz Mitchell received news that she would re- ceive an MBE for her contributions to music and charity in the King’s Birthday Honours. “It’s pretty amazing that it is happening now,” she said of her honour at the time. “If I’d gotten [the news] before, I might have mentioned it because my dad was so proud of his MBE.” Her late father, Norman Mitchell, was awarded an MBE by Prince Charles for his charitable work with the Windrush generation in 2014. Born in Clarendon, Jamaica, Liz moved to London at age 11. She discovered her voice while serving a customer tea at a café her parents owned in northwest London. “I was harmo- nising to a track on the jukebox, and a man asked me how I managed to do it so well,” she told The Guardian in 2002. “He recommended me to a talent agent.” At 14, her mum said she was too young to sign up with the agent, but three years later, while working as a secretary, the talent agent rang her at home and asked if she was ready to sing professionally. Her early career included a stage appearance in the musical Hair, a groundbreaking production that defined the coun- terculture movement of the late 1960s. She performed in the production from 1968 to 1969 in Germany, replacing Donna Summer, who had pursued a music career. After Hair, Liz joined the Les Humphries Singers for a few years. Six of the 20 singers (excluding Liz) represented Germany at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, singing Ralph Siegel’s song Sing Sang Song, and came in 15th place. After leaving the group, Liz returned to the UK. She received a phone call from the Katja Wolff agency persuading her to return to West Germany to join the newly formed Boney M by German record producer Frank Farian. It would see her become the voice behind some of the most iconic disco hits of the 1970s. The group became a global sensation with chart-topping hits such as Daddy Cool, Rivers of Babylon , Ma Baker and Rasputin . They sold over 150 million records worldwide, cementing their place in music history. As the distinctive voice of Boney M, Liz played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of disco in the 1970s. Her smooth, soul- ful delivery elevated the group’s tracks beyond simple dance Jada Brookes attended original Boney M singer Liz Mitchell’s MBE honour event at the House of Parliament in Westminster. LIZ MITCHELL Singer Celebrates MBE Honour Images courtesy of Howard Bowden