Legendary calypso entertainers The Talbot Brothers are to be celebrated in pictures and song next year.

A coffee table book as well as CD and DVD collections are to be released – funded by the Blackie Talbot Foundation with the support of the Bank of Bermuda.

Written by Bermudian Elizabeth Jones, the full-colour book will be sold as a collector's item, documenting how the group broke through Bermuda's racial barriers and won the hearts of everyone from Babe Ruth to US President Dwight Eisenhower.

The book also tells the instrumental role the Talbots played in shaping Bermuda's tourism industry before and after the Second World War.

Yesterday's launch was hosted by Clement Talbot, chairman of the Ross 'Blackie' Talbot Charity Classic which was named to honour his father, a Talbot Brother. In attendance was the last surviving member of the group, Roy Talbot.

"I am very excited and proud to announce today, the publication of a new book entitled 'Bermuda's Famous Talbot Brothers: A Celebration in History, Pictures and Song'.

"The book will include two CDs of the Talbot Brothers' most popular songs and a 30-minute narrated, visual and musical DVD, with rare footage of the Talbot Brothers' appearance on the famous Ed Sullivan Show, and (at) the prestigious London Mayfair Hotel in the 50s.

"This book is part of our history and brings to mind many happy and challenging memories of life in the past."

Properly known as The Talbot Brothers of Bermuda, the group's members weren't actually all brothers – a cousin was also drafted to perform.

"Persuaded to vacate their homes in the 1930s to make way for wealthy socialites, six young Bermudian boys and their families left their village of Tucker's Town – a pristine corner of Bermuda where billionaires Ross Perot and Michael Bloomberg now own homes – with little more than musical genes and dreams of a better life," reads a description of the book. "Turning dust into gold, the boys – five brothers and a cousin – started a calypso group.

"Charismatic and outgoing, the group quickly forged high-profile relationships with the newcomers, singing for them on the golf course as caddies, and on Bermuda's fieldstone-lined streets as horse-and-buggy drivers. Ironically, these connections later helped fuel the boys' rise to fame, which extended far beyond the shores of Bermuda. The group appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan Show', 'Good Morning America', and performed at London's Palladium and Dorchester Hotel."

Mr. Talbot described the upcoming productions as an "ambitious and challenging project" , saying it took three years to get one band member, his uncle Roy, to give him the go-ahead.

"His initial reluctance inspired me to produce a product that he and the community of Bermuda would be very proud of. Although there have been a number of articles written about The Talbot Brothers, from my research I learned there was no written document that told the story of their very humble beginnings – a family of 12 with no formal education, that went on to be one of Bermuda's biggest entertainment attractions (and spanned) three decades, from the 40s to the 60s," he said.

He praised the book's author, Ms Jones, and historian Ruth Thomas, for producing an "outstanding account" of The Talbot Brothers' journey to fame.

"The book ensures their name will always occupy a place in Bermuda's history as they were a force for harmony and reconciliation among our diverse community," he stated.

The limited edition, 50-page coffee table book is filled with previously unpublished photos of the Talbots. It includes two music CDs and a narrated DVD. For more information visit www.talbotbrothersbermuda.com