( l - r ) Klyve & Tammi

Western Bureau:

Jamaica's musical history is replete with stories of siblings combining vocal talentto attain phenomenal success, so for vocalists Clive 'Klyve' Moncrieffe and his sister, Tameika 'Tammi T' Moncrieffe, they are not exactly heading into unknown waters.

However, the dynamic Montego Bay-based duo, who currently provide back-up vocals for female reggae sensation Etana, is now stepping up its game. In addition to performing on the north coast hotel circuit as Tammi and Klyve, they are also quite busy in the recording studio, churning out songs they hope will become hits.

"We are working with a talented group of young people called Notice Productions," Tammi T told The Gleaner. "We have already released a few songs and we are now working on others."

While they are yet to attain the phenomenal success of other musical siblings such as Bob Marley's Grammy Award-winning offsprings, The Melody Makers; the dynamic Morgan Heritage, the children of veteran singer Denroy Morgan; and rocksteady king Alton Ellis and his sister Hortense, Tammi and Klyve are approaching the future with much optimism.

"We are quite confident about what we are doing," noted Tammi T. "I know we have the ability and it is just a matter of putting in the work to match our talent."

Labour of love

While their three-year association with Etana has exposed them to the international stage via tours to Ghana, Scotland, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany and the United States, they are both convinced that it is really their labour of love performing at church, school and later the hotel circuit, which is now paying off for them.

"We started out singing in the church when we were quite young," recalled Tammi T. "I was much taller than Klyve at the time, so they had to put him on something to stand up to match my height."

From church, where Tammi T recalled her first singing experience was singing harmonies for her bigger sister, Tammi and Klyve moved into performing at school concerts and, later, competitively in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Festival Competition.

Tammi leads the way

Being the older of the two, the resolute Tammi T, then a teenager with a burning ambition to make it in music, was the first to try singing professionally when she accepted a gig as lead singer for the Elements Band, a top show band on the north coast hotel circuit in the 1980s.

The hotel circuit provided Tammi T with the perfect opportunity to sing the songs of her idols - Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston - whose songs she used to belt out regularly, much to the admiration of her neighbours, while doing her home chores.

"I felt at home singing in the hotel because I was getting a lot of attention from the visitors," recalled Tammi T, who completed her education at Knockalva High School prior to taking up singing full time. "The reviews in the hotel were quite good ... guests used to tell me regularly that I should be on American Idol."

Support from parents

When she initially accepted the hotel gig, Tammi T kept it a secret from her parents because, in addition to being very strict, they had brought her up in the church and pretty much kept her away from secular activities. However, over time, they realised what she was doing but never made a fuss about it. The same went for Klyve when he later joined her on the circuit.

"I don't think they (their parents) could stop it. It was something that was in us that had to come out," Tammi T said. "We have never really discussed it with them, but I am sure they are proud of us."

It was Tammi T who actually pulled Klyve on to the hotel circuit when she became established. With encouragement and support from her then manager Alex Foster, she formed the group Tammi T (later Tammi Tease and Tease), which saw Klyve and two other male vocalists singing harmonies for her.

"The image I was trying to create was to have me singing lead and these three sexy guys providing the harmonies," recalled Tammi T. "It worked beautifully for about three years ... we even recorded a few songs together."

With complacency creeping into the group and Tammi and Klyve realising that the other members of the group were seemingly not as hungry for success as they were, they decided that it would probably be better to split. It was that decision that led to the formation of Tammi and Klyve.

Preparation meeting opportunity

"I never had any doubts about my ability and I knew Klyve was very good from his days back in basic school when he sang lead on the choir," said Tammi T. "Since then, we have not only been working together on the hotel circuit and recording together, but we have also done back-up vocals for other artistes."

Landing the gig with Etana was a case of preparation meeting opportunity. Etana was preparing for a trip to Africa when she learnt that her regular back-up singers would not be available for the trip. A friend, who knew about Tammi and Klyve's vocal prowess, recommended them to her.

"She (Etana) was supposed to perform at a concert in Kingston so she decided to use that show to test us," said Tammi T. "She sent us the songs on tape and we practiced and practiced and when we went to the show we killed it. She told us then and there that she wanted us to make the trip to Africa with her ... the rest is history."

Travelling the world with Etana and performing as her opening act, Tammi and Klyve are enjoying the best of both worlds, and while it is hard work, they are really soaking up the experience.

"Opening for Etana provides us with a wonderful opportunity to perform our own songs before major international audiences, so it is really fabulous exposure for us," said Tammi. "Of course, Etana is also quite a wonderful person, so it is such a blessing working with her."

While happy supporting 'The Strong One', Tammi and Klyve are now beaming with confidence about their future as a duo, as well as with individual projects.

"We are ready to take success whenever it comes," Tammi T said. "For me, the sky is the limit, and if there is a place beyond the skies, we will be looking to reach there too."

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com