Our Story
Every so often there are moments in life that changes your destiny.
This is that story.
In the summer of 1988, David Berry and Michael Stancliff had a great idea to play music in the Caribbean. They had no band, no transportation, no equipment, no lights, and no songs. They had nothing. They knew that they would need to have bookings at a club in order to create a band. But, they needed a band in order to get the bookings at a club. Michael and David decided to create a demo tape. They had the genius idea to make the recordings sound like a live band.
Michael had just acquired a state of the art 1988, 4-track cassette recorder. With the help of an electronic drum machine, Michael and David played all the instruments to create a 4 song demo tape. This was no ordinary demo tape. It was a live performance tape with crowd noises. It even included David talking to an audience. However, there was no audience and it wasn't really a live recording. It was Michael and David recording songs in Michael’s bedroom.
The night before Dave mailed the demo tapes to various clubs, he called Michael and asked, "OK, I'm ready to send the tape, but what is the name of the band?"
Michael replied, "Well, we put it together so fast, in less than a week!"
Dave asked, "What is fast?"
Michael replied, "Jaguars are fast."
Dave exclaimed, "Jaguar it is!" And the tapes were mailed.
They sent the tape to all the clubs in St. Thomas and St. John. Two months later they were successfully booked for two nights a week at World Headquarters in St. John and two nights a week at For the Birds in St. Thomas. They were booked for four weeks, starting January 17, 1989. Now, if they only had a band….
Billy Kyger (Lead Vocalist) was the first to join. Billy was working with Michael Stancliff writing and recording original music. No other singer was even considered for the job. Jaguar was lucky to have him.
Mike Shipley (Drums) was the next to join. He found Jaguar through a mutual friend. Mike mentioned to a co-worker that he really wanted to get out of town. The co-worker said that she knew of a band that needed a drummer, and they were leaving town in January. She asked him if the Virgin Islands was far enough out of town. Mike told her that if she could get him an audition, he was confident that he would get the job. At his audition, Michael and David knew that Mike got the job, even before the first song was over.
Chris Sellman (Bass Guitar) was working at a music store with David Berry when he was asked to complete the band. Jaguar had auditioned many bass players and was even playing shows with a temporary bass player. Chris joined with less than month to go before Jaguar was scheduled to leave for the US Virgin Islands.
Jaguar played their first show Thursday, January 19, 1989 at World Headquarters in Cruz Bay St. John. They were immediately offered a 4 week extension. Over the next few weeks they were so well received they were asked to play through the end of March. Jaguar played their first show in St. Thomas Saturday, January 21, 1989 at a club called For The Birds. Many packed shows resulted in multiple extensions at this club as well. The band also played 2 shows on the Sea Vista (the worlds largest glass bottom boat) during its Charlotte Amalie Harbor sunset cruise, giving the band an unforgettable experience.
Jaguar played their last show April 2, 1989 and left the islands April 5th. A four week engagement became 81 life changing days in paradise. The band met so many wonderful people and the memories have now become legendary. Thirty years later Jaguar reunited to commemorate and celebrate their brief time together in the place that lives forever. The United States Virgin Islands.
On January 15, 2019
Jaguar returned to St. Thomas to spend one week celebrating our 30th Reunion.
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On April 30, 2019
Jaguar returned to St. Thomas to play one more show.
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January 27-February 5, 2020
Jaguar returned to play 2 shows on St. John and 2 shows on St. Thomas. This was Jaguar’s first shows featuring Rick Duarte on lead vocals and Jason Heiser on drums.
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February 1 -12, 2021
Jaguar starts recording their first album at the world famous Tone Factory in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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June 19-28, 2022
Jaguar finally returns to play shows after COVID. This was the first time Jaguar has played during the summer in the Caribbean. It was 5 nights at the World Famous Beach Bar, St. John. It exceeded all expectations…
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March 11-21, 2023
Jaguar returns for 5 big shows. We played 4 nights at the World Famous Beach Bar, St. John including St. Patrick’s Day. We also played a big charity show at the Sapphire Beach Bar. It was our first show on St. Thomas in 3 years. This was our most successful trip in over 30 years.
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