Boombay Andrewin was born in the village of Gale's Point Manatee in 1965. He has been playing drums for 25 years, and making drums for 15 years. Today he works with his cousin, Emmeth Young, making drums, teaching at the Drum School, and playing in the Talla Walla Vibrations Band.

Boombay reminisces on his life: “I was born here, in this village on a sandy peninsula, surrounded by the lagoon. As a child, I would use a dugout canoe, or dory, to go to farm and cut firewood. Soon as it was time to play, I would be climbing cashew and mango trees. When I was six, I started making rhythms on cans and table tops. At eight, I set up my first drum set with sticks and cans. I had hours of fun playing them. I was really into music from then. I knew that music was my expression of creativity.

“At 14, I left school to get a job picking oranges. The next year, I started going to Mr. Irvin’s drum shack in the bush. He was my greatest teacher and inspiration. His house was filled with drums and it was always rocking. The more I learned, the more I wanted to play. Then I started making drums, and dreamed of being in a band. Together with my cousin, Emmeth Young, we started the Talla Walla Vibrations Band. I have played with many bands and toured in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.

“I love drumming and get more inspired by the power it has in healing. Drumming is my spirituality. I am very close to my family. Two of my brothers are musicians, and my father, Moses Andrewin is a dancer and storyteller. My three year old daughter, Indira, is on her way to becoming a great dancer too.

“I am also a farmer. I have an extremely fertile organic farm on a beautiful creek. I've been farming there with my brothers and my dad since I was a small boy. I love to grow food and enjoy all the wildlife around me. Tapirs, baboons (howler monkeys), peccary, waterdogs, jaguars, toucans and many other birds live in the bush near our farm. The creek by our farm has a 20 foot deep pool, with a huge rock in the middle of it, called Moses Rock, after my dad. There are also caves nearby.”