Eric Donaldson began his career in 1964 and founded The West Indians in 1965 with Leslie Burke and Hector Brooks. The group released several singles, including work with Lee Perry ("Oh Lord"), later changing their name to The Kilowatts and recording for Lloyd 'Matador' Daley without commercial success, which led to the trio’s split. After recording solo tracks, Donaldson entered the Jamaica Festival Song Competition with "Cherry Oh Baby" and won.\r\r\nAlthough his career did not follow a conventional chart trajectory, the single sold over 50,000 copies and Donaldson later recorded with heavyweight producers such as Bunny Lee. Refusing the relentless pace of touring and annual recording cycles, he recorded sporadically but with recurring success, winning the Jamaica Festival Song Competition again in 1977, 1978, 1984 and 1993.\r\r\nIn the 1990s he saw renewed interest in versions of "Cherry Oh Baby" and became especially beloved in Maranhão and neighboring states, as well as among Maranhão expatriates in Rio and São Paulo, where songs like "Cinderella" and "Land of my Birth" remain popular. He resides in Kent Village, Jamaica, and his later album was "PEACE AND LOVE" (1997), produced by Joe Gibbs.