LONG before deejays and radio jockeys ruled, entertainment in the country was brought to the masses via a group of local musicians.
Had they been born in New York or London, there is no doubt that this determined bunch would have achieved fame and fortune on the world stage.
Beginning on Thursday, The Fiji Times will bring you stories of the men, women and venues that rocked the country.
Artists such as the late Bill Vatubua — long renowned as Fiji's Tom Jones in the '60s and '70s and our very own Stevie Wonder in Sakiusa Bulicokocoko, a drummer and guitarist whose outstanding musical ability took him as far away as Mexico, Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia.
Read about how local guitar legend, Tom Mawi, broke barriers through his virtuoso and unparalleled prowess and drove a legion of local guitar players to aspire for something more than ordinary.
Fiji's answer to Elvis Presley, Mike Woo, also recounts a time when music not only entertained but brought people of all races together at dance halls, grog shops, markets and nightclubs.
A similar tale is told by Fiji-born, New Zealand resident, journalist and celebrity chef, Bharat Jamnadas.
Guitar maestro Robert Verma recalls paying 20 pence to scramble up on empty boxes to watch one of the first bands formed in the country called White Rose in the old capital, Levuka, in 1950.
Along with the stories of musical genius, share the magic, special events and moments that marked Fiji's transition from a British Colony to independence in Back Tracks.