The band achieved almost instant celebrity when a Dave Martins' original, "Honeymooning couple", one of four songs the band recorded in Toronto in 1966 six months after it was formed, became a runaway hit in the Caribbean. Following on that success, Martins' songwriting ability (he has written 110 Tradewinds originals) kept the band at the forefront of Caribbean popular music for decades as this unique group became part of Caribbean life.