and reunions After a period of obscurity, Cymande's music was rediscovered in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of their songs were deconstructed and used as breakbeats by early hip-hop DJs Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash. The British rare groove scene of the 1980s was openly influenced by Cymande. By the late 1980s they were being sampled regularly by rap artists, starting with De La Soul on their 3 Feet High and Rising album, plus EPMD, The KLF, MC Solaar, Heavy D, and many others. An unauthorized sample of "Dove" by The Fugees resulted in a lucrative copyright infringement settlement for Scipio and Patterson. Additional recognition arrived in 1994 when Spike Lee used the Cymande song "Bra" in his film Crooklyn; Lee used the same song in his 2002 film 25th Hour. Thanks to ongoing recognition of their early 1970s original works by more modern fans, Cymande reformed with most of its original members for a one-off show in 2006. A fuller reunion commenced in 2012. Their original producer John Schroeder was brought back as well, and plans were announced for a new album. The group completed several one-off shows in the next few years, with all nine original members eventually contributing at various times, alongside some new sidemen. Cymande released A Simple Act of Faith in 2015 – the band's first new album in 41 years. In 2016 the group completed a short tour of the United States, where it had not played since 1973. Early member Trevor White died on 5 November 2020 and original member Pablo Gonsales died in Jamaica on 2 December 2020. Members Original core members Ray King (vocals, percussion) Steve Scipio (bass) Patrick Patterson (guitar) Derek Gibbs (saxophone) Pablo Gonsales (congas) Sam Kelly (drums) Joey Dee (vocals, percussion) Peter Serreo (saxophone) Mike "Bami" Rose (woodwinds, percussion) Other early members Desmond Atwell (saxophone) George Kelly (percussion) Jimmy Lindsay (vocals, percussion) Trevor White (vocals, bass, percussion) Members for 2016 KCRW performance Steve Scipio (bass, vocals) Patrick Patterson (guitar, vocals) Derrick Gibbs (alto sax, percussion) Pablo Gonsales (percussion, vocals) Sam Kelly (drums) Desmond Atwell (alto sax) Ray Carless (tenor sax) Adrian Reid (keyboards, vocals) Raymond Simpson (lead vocals) Discography Studio Cymande (1972) Second Time Round (1973) Promised Heights (1974) Arrival (1981) A Simple Act of Faith (2015) Compilations The Best of Cymande (1991) The Message (1999) The Soul of Rasta (2000) Nyah-Rock (2003) Renegades of Funk (2005) References