Wayne Laryea facts for kids

Wayne Laryea was born on April 11, 1952. He is a British musician and actor.

Wayne is well-known for playing the bumblebee character Harmony in the American TV show The Bugaloos (1970). In the UK, he was known as Johnny in the show Pipkins (1973). Later, in 1978, he acted in Empire Road, which was the BBC's first drama series featuring black actors. He also appeared in Crown Court that same year.

Wayne Laryea's Early Life

Wayne Laryea's father, Nathanal, came from Ghana. He was a very talented performer. Nathanal was part of an international dance group called 'Ballet Negro'.

Later, he created his own show called 'African Frenzy Show'. He toured the UK and Scandinavia with his act. He was known as Chief Odongo, a snake charmer. Even after he retired, he continued to perform fire-eating and snake-charming. He became famous for these acts and appeared in movies. Wayne's sister, Vilma, also had a successful career in shows and TV.

Starring in The Bugaloos

In 1970, American TV producers Sid and Marty Krofft were looking for young musicians. They wanted four young adults from Britain for their new show, The Bugaloos. This show was about a rock band made up of insects.

Wayne Laryea was 18 years old when he was chosen. He was one of 5,000 people who applied! Wayne played the keyboards as Harmony, a bumblebee. The other band members were I.Q., a grasshopper guitarist; Joy, a singing butterfly; and Courage, a male ladybug who played drums. They lived in a place called Tranquillity Forest.

The Kroffts chose Wayne even though he was black. At that time, some parts of America were still dealing with racial issues. For example, the state of Mississippi had banned Sesame Street because it showed white and black children playing together. But the Kroffts focused on talent. They did not make a big deal about the different races on their show. Viewers really liked Wayne. They enjoyed his funny Cockney-style rhyming slang and his physical comedy.

The Bugaloos on TV

The Bugaloos first aired on September 12, 1970. It was part of the Saturday-morning cartoon lineup in America. The show was made for children aged 6 to 11. Wayne and the other Bugaloos moved to Hollywood to live together in a big house.

On the show, they sang, played music, and acted out stories. Other actors included Martha Raye as the evil witch and Billy Barty as a friendly firefly. An LP record of the Bugaloos' music was released, but it did not sell many copies. The show faced tough competition from other programs like Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The last episode of The Bugaloos aired on January 2, 1971. A total of 17 episodes were made.

Empire Road TV Series

Empire Road was a special TV show that aired from 1978 to 1979. It was the first soap opera in the UK to feature black and Asian actors. Wayne Laryea played Marcus Bennett, one of the three main characters.

Marcus was the son of Everton Bennett (Norman Beaton) and Hortense (Corinne Skinner-Carter). His parents had moved to the UK from Guyana. Marcus was born in Birmingham 20 years before the show's story began. The show was set in Handsworth, a part of Birmingham known for its diverse community. Marcus's girlfriend, Ranjanaa Kapoor, was played by Guyanese beauty contestant Nalini Moonasar.

Michael Abbensetts was the main writer for Empire Road. The show first aired on BBC 2 at 6:50 pm. For its second season, the BBC moved the show to a better time slot, 8 pm. After 15 episodes and two years on TV, the show was cancelled.