As Bermuda gears up to welcome The Merrymen back this weekend after an absence of 20 years, lead vocalist and guitarist Emile Straker wonders from his home in Trinidad if we still have horses and buggies, diddlybops and the quaintness and charm which the entertainers fondly remember from their visits here all those years ago.

Advised that much has changed in the interim, like the rest of his band, he is nonetheless looking forward to performing the distinctive sounds which so captivated Bermuda audiences in the past.

"It is going to be a nostalgia thing," Mr. Straker says. "In the 1970s we were very popular in Bermuda. In those days we played at the 40 Thieves and drew tremendous crowds. We have some great memories of Bermuda."

Hailed as "the greatest Calypso band of all time", the five-strong Merrymen formed in the early 1960s in their native Barbados, and three of the original members — Mr. Straker, Robin Hunte (tenor guitar and electric mandolin) and Chris Gibbs (bass guitar) — are still going strong, while Willie Kerr (lead guitar) and Peter Roett (drums and percussion) later replaced two of the original members.

Mr. Straker describes the group's repertoire as "Caribbean folk calypso: a mixture of a little reggae and crossover music".

"Our market is very international, but it still has that basic 'Caribeat'," he says.

Indeed, The Merrymen have travelled extensively in pursuit of their art, performing on television and cruise ships, and in Holland, Britain, Canada and the US at such prestigious venues as London's Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall; the O'Keefe Centre and Superdome in Toronto; Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and the half-time Superbowl show.

"We are based in Barbados, and don't travel as much as we did in the early days, but we still do concerts now and then," Mr. Straker says. "After we leave Bermuda we go to Canada, and we also have two concerts coming up in October and November, and another in London next year."

Like all long-standing and highly successful artists, in addition to their live performances, The Merrymen have recorded approximately 40 albums, mainly featuring their own compositions, but also including covers of popular songs.

What is evident is that this universally popular Barbadian group, which is also renowned for its colourful costumes, has found a formula which works well for them, and they have stuck with it.

"Once you do your own thing and have your own style, I think people are all for it," Mr. Straker says. "We don't compete with what is happening today. We have our own formula and our own beat, and we can still cover a broad spectrum of people who come to hear us. Our music is happy music."

In 2003 the group disbanded for a while, but then reformed and are happily continuing to do what they do best.

Referring to this week's visit, the lead vocalist-guitarist says, "We are looking forward to seeing the changes in Bermuda, and looking forward to playing there. We hope a lot of the old faces from the past will come out to see us."

Indeed, the event is being billed as "the summer beach party that brings Bermuda out to dance and party under the stars".

It was promoter Eddie DeMello who first discovered The Merrymen and brought them to Bermuda for an open-air concert at the Tennis Stadium on April 16, 1966, as well as gigs at the US military base and the Coral Island Club in Flatts.

"I was travelling through Antigua, and they were playing at a big nightclub. They weren't really well known then, but I said, 'This is the type of act that would really, really go well in Bermuda', so I sat and talked with them, we worked things out, and I brought them up here in 1966," Mr. DeMello remembers.

He also booked them into the Southampton Princess in the 1960s, and later Terry Brannon booked them for the 40 Thieves Club.

"The last time they were in Bermuda was in 1988 for three nights at the revamped 40 Thieves Gombey Bar," Tony Brannon, director of entertainment at 9 Beaches, recalls. "They are still fantastic, and it is a thrill for me to see them back — hopefully not for the last time."

Recalling that Mr. DeMello and his late father were the two men who brought The Merrymen to Bermuda years ago, Mr. Brannon says he is delighted to be working with Mr. DeMello again.

Of Saturday night's concert, which is also the final beach party of Beach Tennis Week, when the professional players will be present, Mr. Brannon predicts, "People are going to have a fantastic night. The Kennel Boys will be playing 60s music, rock 'n' roll, Jimmy Buffet ..."

• The Merrymen will perform under the stars at the Fairmont Southampton Beach Terrace, with the beach opening at 7 p.m. Bermuda's own Kennel Boys Party Band will open for the visitors. Bar service and food will be available, and coolers are prohibited. Dress is 'Island style, tourist on holiday'. Advance tickets, available at the Music Box, are $75, with $5 off per ticket for groups of ten or more. Tickets at the gate will be $90.