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Kanda Bongo Man

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Kanda Bongo Man, born Bongo Kanda in 1955, is a Congolese soukous singer. His career began in 1973, when he became the singer of the band Belle Mambo. His sound was influenced there by Tabu Ley. In 1979 he moved to Paris, where his solo career took off and his music took in elements of zouk, which had been popularised by Kassav from the French Antilles. His first solo albums, Iyole in 1981 and Djessy in 1982, were hits.

Music and breakthrough

He is known for a structural innovation in soukous. Previously, a number of verses were sung with a single guitar solo at the end. Kanda Bongo Man had a guitar solo played after every verse, sometimes even at the start of the song. His form of soukous led to the rhythmic dance kwassa kwassa, in which the hips move back and forth while the hands follow the hips.

Influence

Like many African rumba and soukous musicians, he had a following of musicians, many of whom later became soloists themselves. The best known is Diblo Dibala, nicknamed Machine Gun, who played guitar on several albums, including Kwasa Kwasa and Amour Fou. Kanda Bongo Man still tours in Europe and the United States. In 2005 he performed at Live 8: Africa Calling in Cornwall, and he often played at the Africa Oyé Festival in Liverpool. His music brought the light, danceable Congolese guitar style to a worldwide audience.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Sai and pay attention to the guitar: how do the vocal parts and guitar solos alternate, and how does the fast rhythm keep the dancing going?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: ArtistsCongolese rumba and soukous