01SocaAdam O
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
VIO International
Band founded by Daddy Jones, 2025-26 St. Croix road march winner.
Behind the music
The story so far.
VIO International is a Virgin Islands band formed by Alwyn "Daddy Jones" Baptiste Jr., a St. Croix native with Antiguan roots whom the V.I. Consortium called one of the founders of Virgin Islands soca and calypso music. When the 2022 Crucian Christmas Festival village was named Daddy Jones Musical Kingdom in his honour, the Consortium listed "Jungle", "Houla" and "Bounce to de Ounce" among the band's memorable hits, and noted that Baptiste had once been a member of Jam Band. Wikipedia's survey of Virgin Islands music also names VIO International among the islands' popular soca bands, and in 2017 the St. Croix Source counted the band among the big names in present-day soca. In January 2026 the Consortium reported a Road March win for VIO International with "Ah Want to Be" at the 2025-26 Crucian Christmas Festival on St. Croix. Recent footage shows the band on parade day on St. Croix in 2025 and at a Bands For The Road night during St. Thomas Carnival 2026.
Sources & further reading
- V.I. Consortium: Daddy Jones Musical Kingdom celebrates legendary artist and producer (2022) (opens in a new tab)
- V.I. Consortium: VIO International wins Road March at St. Croix Crucian Christmas Festival (2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Music of the Virgin Islands (opens in a new tab)
- USVI Department of Tourism: St. Thomas Carnival Village performance line-up (2024) (opens in a new tab)
- St. Croix Source: Remembering Jam Band arranger Ambrose 'Boots' Schmidt (2017) (opens in a new tab)
- In the collection
- Soca
- Keep exploring
- Artist links ↗ (opens in a new tab)
A place to startGET INTO
GET INTO
THE SOUND.
Two tracks to begin with. Listen on the original platform, then explore the rest of the catalog.
