GET ready to eat drink and be merry this weekend as the veteran calypso band who gave us Island in the Sun, Big Bamboo and Ring Ting Ting takes centre stage once more to delight Bermudians with musical melodies that appeal to all ages.

The world renowned Merrymen, from Barbados, will be performing on Saturday night from 7 p.m. until midnight at the Fairmont Beach in Southampton. They are here to take part in festivities surrounding the ongoing Bermuda Beach Tennis event organised by promoter Tony Brannon.

"This is a relationship that goes back to when I was a kid and my father had the 40 Thieves Club," said Mr. Bannon. "The 40 Thieves was the leading nightclub in Bermuda in the 1960s and '70s and the first big calypso band that was brought to Bermuda was the Merrymen and they were a sensational hit.

"They were arguably the band in the Caribbean that made as much of an impact in the region as The Beatles had in the rest of the world. They created such a fever within the islands. They would go from island to island and sell out to packed houses.

"They've been playing non-stop throughout the years and they've been to Bermuda a number of times. The last time they were here was in the 1980s."

Mr. Brannon said he is staging the show along with vcteran concert promoter Eddie DeMello and VSB broadcasting chief Kenny DeFontes to coincide with this weekend's Beach Tennis extravaganza at the Fairmount Southampton.

"I wanted to have a really good show, something that the beach tennis players and guests could enjoy," he said. "I wanted a band that would attract a nice cross-section of an audience. I thought it would be nice to bring The Merrymen back to Bermuda. They'll bring a nice older crowd out but also some of the younger people who have never seen a really good calypso band. And to cater to the younger people, we have the local rock and reggae band The Kennel Boys opening up for The Merrymen which will give a little bit of edge to the proceedings.

"A little bit of reggae, a little bit of rock and roll and followed by calypso and soca music by The Merrrymen.

Mr. Brannon said food and refreshments will be available at stands that will be set up for the tennis tournament and the concert.

The Merrymen have a fascinating history in the music industry and have been around since the early 1960s.

They started their illustrious career at the Drift Wood Cellar Bar in the St. Lawrence Gap area of Barbados in 1962. For a mere $18 a night, the fab five began a career that would end up spanning decades and see them reach the top of international music charts on more than one occasion.

Emile Straker, bandleader and lead vocalist of The Merrymen, said: "I grew up very close to Queen's Park (in Bridgetown) and I would always listen to the folk music shows that were held there. I would drum and whistle whenever I had the chance, and would play music on the desks at school."

It was a passion that would lead him to become the musical heart and soul of the beautiful island of Barbados.

Robin Hunte, tenor guitarist and electric mandolin player for the band, spoke about getting interested in music as a boy and said: "I was born to play music. My mother gave me a little banjo when I was maybe 12 years old. I promptly disappeared for two days after that, and went down to a near-by village called Sandy Ground where many great guitar players hung out. And it was there that I learnt to play."

Three years after the famed five started at the Drift Wood Cellar Bar they were performing to packed audiences around the world at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Their success at the time was due largely to their chart-topping hit song Big Bamboo and they shared centre stage with popular names like Bob Hope, Chuck Berry, Count Bassie and Tom Jones. They even did a private performance for Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra.

As The Merrymen put it: "That song (Big Bamboo) changed our lives. It has been an unbelievable dream. We have done our best and we have had lots of fun."

Mr. Brannon wants people to know that if it rains the concert will still go ahead, just in another location. "The event is being held at The Fairmont Southampton Beach right on the beach front this Saturday. There is a rain date for the following night in the ballroom at the Southampton Princess if the weather turns horrible.

"If the weather is good it's going to be a great night under the stars and it will be magical. The sound production is being done by Great Sound Production who are the best on the island. When you put on a quality event you have to have good sound."

Mr. Brannon added: "The parking for The Merrymen show is going to be at the Horseshoe Bay parking lot because there is a big function at The Fairmont Southampton that night.

"So parking will be at Horseshoe Beach while the show will be at the Fairmont Southampton beach."

Mr. Brannon also spoke about the "great incentive" being offered by the Fairmont Southampton in an effort to attract people to their hotel for the tennis tournament and the Merrymen show.

Mr. Brannon explained: "To entice people to stay with them the Fairmont is offering a special room rate for the weekend of the concert and tennis tournament. The special room rate at the five-star resort is $99.50 per person based on double occupancy.

"So you can go with a friend and get the room for $199 where it would normally cost around $500. For $99.50 each you won't find anywhere as nice as that in Bermuda.

"Why don't people come for the weekend, watch some beach tennis, and go see The Merrymen on Saturday night? Then they don't have to worry about parking, or driving, or drinking and everything else.

"Have a holiday in the island and help support the event and the local economy. The Fairmont has given us a great rate and foreign residents and Bermudians can both take advantage of the offer."

Mr. Brannon said the weekend of fun in the sun with music and beach tennis would not have been possible without the sponsors for the upcoming event. "Because this is a non-profit sporting event, the local sponsors have stepped up to the plate and helped to make this event happen.

"Our title sponsor The BGA Group of Companies and everyone from newspapers, radio, to international business, to Belco supplying us with power on the beach has helped make this event possible.

"Tourism is not an official sponsor but they've been very helpful. Kudos goes to the Tourism Department's Adam Barboza who has been very helpful.

"The MEF Little Venice Group has been really great as a sponsor as well. We went to them and told them we wanted to bring the world beach tennis champions in from Italy and asked if they would help fly them here. They said 'Yes, we will, we will pay for them to get to Bermuda' and to that end the world champions are going to wear the Little Venice logos on their shirt and that's really fantastic."

Mr. Brannon also spoke about the prizes being given away during the course of the weekend and said: "We have loads of great prizes we are giving away such as free dinners at the Pickled Onion, the Hog Penny, and the Fairmont, free golf and tennis at the Fairmont, rum cakes from Dockyard, gifts from some shops in Hamilton and so on and so forth.

"For the best men's amateur beach tennis team we will be providing two round trip tickets to compete in the Aruba tournament a couple of weeks later."

The Merrymen, no strangers to Bermuda, will serve up good music and good times this Saturday and according to Mr. Brannon: "The Merrymen always say to me: 'Tony, your island is the prettiest island we have ever been to'."

Tickets for the Merrymen are available through The Music Box and are $75 in advance or $90 at the door. For groups 10 or more the price is $70 per ticket.