What is "exuma"

Exuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, also called cays.

The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma by a small bridge. The capital and largest city in the district is George Town (population 1,437), founded 1793 and located on Great Exuma. The Tropic of Cancer runs across a beach close to the city. The entire island chain is 130 mi (209 km) long and 72 sq. mi (187 km²) in area. Great Exuma island has an area of 61 sq. mi (158 km²) while Little Exuma has an area of 11 sq. mi (29 km²).

Between 2000 and 2010, the population of Exuma more than doubled, reflecting the construction of large and small resort properties and the related direct air traffic to Great Exuma from locations as distant as Toronto, Canada. The population is 6,928.

Macfarlane Gregory Anthony Mackey, who recorded as Exuma (18 February 1942 – 15 January 1997), was a Bahamian musician, known for his almost unclassifiable music: a strong mixture of carnival, junkanoo, calypso and ballad. In his early days in New York's Greenwich Village, Tony McKay (his self-given name) performed in small clubs and bars. Later, along with his then-partner and lifelong friend, Sally O'Brien, and several musician friends, he launched EXUMA - a seven-person group that toured and recorded albums, starting with Exuma: The Obeah Man in 1970 and ending with Rude Boy in 1986. His songs invoke influences from calypso, junkanoo, reggae, African music and folk music with his lyrics dealing heavily with Obeah. His backing band known only as the Junk Band has included names such as Sally O'Brien, Bogie, Lord Wellington, Villy, Mildred Vaney, Frankie Gearing, Diana Claudia Bunea, and his good friend Peppy Castro.