Seydina insa Wade was born in 1948 in Medina, Dakar as a son of an imam. He studied islam, but
secretly played contrabass in the Rio Sextet in 1964. In 1966, he participated in the FESTAC in Dakar, where he sang a
folk song in Wolof, just accompanying with his guitar. In the following decades he worked with a variety of bands, among
others with Xalam 1 and Xalam 2. He recorded several solo albums such as
« Yoff » (1985) and
« Xalima » (2004), and was active in theater and storytelling.
Seydina was known for being politically engaged. He died on 9 May after a period of illness.
03-08-2011: Former Maroon Commandos foreman Habel Kifoto died.
On 31 July, Habel Kifoto died alledgedly from heart failure. Habel Kifoto was guitarist, composer,
singer and bandleader of the army band Maroon Commandos from the early days in 1970 until his
retirement in 2002. Until his death he was the chairman of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya.
The Maroon Commandos were popular for their Kenyan version of rumba, one of their well-known songs is
« Charonyi ni Wasi ». The band still exists and is currently lead by
David Kombo.
03-08-2011: Influential Guinean guitar hero Kante Manfila died at the age of 65.
On 20 July, Manfila Kanté died in Paris. Manfila, often referred to as Kanté Manfila,
born in 1946 in Farabanah, has been an extremely influential guitar player who was one of the first to play the guitar as
the balafon.
His worked during several decades with Salif Keita both in the Ambassadeurs as in his later solo
work, such as the much acclaimed album « Moffou ». In addition,
Manfila made several solo albums, such as « Musicale mandingue »,
« Tradition »,
« Ni Kanu »
and « N'na niwale ».
14-07-2011: Guinean singer Sekouba Fatako has died.
According to various Guinean press websites, Fula singer Sekouba Fatako Kouyaté
has died last Monday (11 July 2011).
Fatako was a popular singer, his songs were loved for their lyrics, and people loved to dance on hit songs as
« Sayata Yetho ».
May his soul rest in peace.
30-04-2011: Congolese singer of Zaiko fame Bimi Ombale died on 29 April.
Bimi Ombale " Biandy ", whose real name is André Bimi
Ombale Mwana Wabi had been ill for a while, and he died last Friday in the Ngaliema hospital in the Congolese capital.
Bimi Ombale was born in 1952, and started as a drummer with Zaiko Langa Langa as early as in 1969.
After a while he became a singer in Zaiko along singers Jossart Nyoka Longo, Evoloko Joker,
Papa Wemba, Mavuela Somo, and Efonge Gina. He
made fame as composer of various success songs of the band, such as
« Elima ngando »,
« Joliba »,
« Lisapo », and
« Sandra Lina ». Bimi left in 1988 with breakaway
Zaiko Familia Dei. He
later created Basilique Loningisa and eventually turned to religious music.
25-04-2011: Congolese singer Debaba died in the night from 23 to 24 April.
Debaba El Shahab, whose real name is Claude Dieka Mbaki suffered
a cardiovascular accident a few days before, after release from hospital he had a heart attack at home again that turned out
to be fatal. He died in the Clinique Ngaliema in Kinshasa, months before he would turn 50.
Born on 12 October 1961 in Kinshasa, he started singing in Historia Musica
with Koffi Olomide, continued in Viva la Musica and subsequently in
Choc Stars next to Defao, Ben
Nyamabo and Carlyto Lassa. He has recorded a few solo albums. Since the early 90s he
turned to religious music.
20-01-2011: Mali's top notch guitar player of the 1980's, Zani Diabaté died.
Zani Diabaté suffered from a stroke on 9 December when entering a studio in Paris.
Although rumours were loud that he had died the same day in hospital,
he turned out to be in a deep coma, and finally passed away on 4 January 2011. Zani was in the Ballet National du Mali from 1963,
then co-founded the Super Djata Band in 1969, together with Alou Fané and Daouda "Flani" Sangaré.
He was sometimes labelled as the Jimi Hendrix of Mali and was indeed a guitar wizard. Since a few years he was director of the
National Ballet du Mali and played only occasionally.
Picture: Aboubacar Siddikh (March 1999)
14-12-2010: One of Tanzania's most famous musicians Remmy Ongala died.
Congolese born Remmy Ongala died after a period of diabetis-related illness in the night of
12 December at the Regency Hospital in Dar es Salaam. Born from a Tanzanian mother and Congolese father in 1947, he had played
in various local band until he moved to Kenya and soon after to Tanzania and joined Orchestre Makassy. Around 1980, he
joined Matimila which was transformed into Super Matimila. In 1988, a European and American tour opened doors and with the
help of WOMAD and the Real World label, he recorded a few albums and became known internationally. His Ubongo Beat
(Ubongo meaning brains) was a popular mix of Congolese and swahili rhythms. His lyrics were often about poverty, death.
In latest years, he converted to gospel music.
9-6-2010: Gabonese afrozouk singer Oliver N'Goma left us far too soon.
Oliver N'Goma died of kidney failure in the night of 6 to 7 June 2010 in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. After first steps in
music, he started working for the Gabonese State television as cameraman. In 1988, he was sent to France for training. In Paris, he met
with other musicians and eventually Ray Lema decided to help and produce a first album. The title song became after a while
a hugh success throughout Africa and the Westindies, mainly due to the fact that Panafrican radio station Africa No.1 played the song
extensively.
4-6-2010: Malian bluesman Lobi Traoré died at 49.
Lobi Traoré died on 1 June 2010 in Bamako. He was only 49 years old, and the cause of death is unknown. Lobi was from
the Segou region, the mainland of the Bambara, and the Bambara music with its earthy and powerful sound was very close
to what is referred to as blues. His albums were critically acclaimed by the international press. In the following years,
he played with Bonnie Rait, Damon Albarn, French harmonica player Vincent Bucher, Dutch guitarist Joep Pelt among others. A forthcoming
album is yet to be released. Lobi left a wife and four children.
9-11-2009: Africa loses one of its prominent drummers, Valérie Lobé.
Pierre Valéry Lobé Bekombo died during a concert in Konstanz, Germany on Friday 6 November 2009. The Cameroonian drummer played drums
for various artists and bands, and recorded on countless albums of not only Cameroonian, but also Congolese and West-African
artists. He can be seen as a true panafrican artist. Apart from drumming, he composed and played guitar as well. May his soul rest in peace!
10-5-2009: Bye Coumba!
One of the best female Wassoulou singers from the South of Mali,
Coumba Sidibé, has passed away in New York on the 9th of May, 2009.
She sang with the Ensemble Instrumental du Mali in the 1970s, and started a solo career in the 1980s, and
recorded a few albums throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.
With her deep and earthy voice, her albums and stage performances were loved, although she never got the deserved level of
acclaim outside of Mali.
R.I.P Miriam Makeba 4 March 1932 - 9 November 2008
(you can see here the song Pata Pata live 1979, with appearance of her grand daughter Zenzi)
21-09-2007: Gambian salsero Laba Sosseh,
a.k.a. la Voz Africana or El Maestro died at the age of 64 in the early morning of 20 September 2007 in a Dakar clinic
He has been ill since a few years. Sosseh has sung
in the 1960s in the African Jazz Band, and in the 1960s and 1970s in the
Star Band de Dakar of which he was one
of the founding fathers. He was one of the first to receive an African Golden Record. More recently, he had worked with
Africando.
13-8-2007: Congolese star singer and band leader
Jean Bialu Madilu a.k.a. Madilu System has died of a heart attack on Saturday
morning 11 August 2007 in Kinshasa.
Madilu, who alledgedly suffered from diabetis and hypertension, left a legacy of
a long musical career. He worked with Pepe Kallé and Franco.
After Franco's death, he left the T.P.O.K. Jazz
and started a solo career. His last album « Bonne humeur »
was released earlier this year.
Saturday 27 May, Grand Theatre, Grote Markt, Groningen 21.00h
Line up:
Idrissa Magassa: vocal and percussion, Zoumana Diarra: solo guitar, Richard Has: bass, Bas Blanken: guitar,
Dramane Diarra: drums, Mamour Seck: percussion. Special guest: Zani Diabaté
17 May 2006: Veteran benga musician, Daniel Owino Misiani, died in a
road accident in Kisumu on Wednesday 17 May
A minibus was coming from Riat Hills in Mamboleo when the driver lost control and rammed into the stationery van, which
had stopped at a police roadblock. Misiani, born in Shirati, Tanzania, launched his musical career after moving into Kenya
in the early 1960s. While his early recordings featured the acoustic guitar, he switched to the electric guitar and
formed Shirati Jazz in 1967. In the 1970s, D.O. Misiani and Shirati Jazz ranked among the most successful musical
groups in Kenya.
15 May 2006: Cheikha Rimitti, the legendary rai music star, died
Monday, 15th May, victim of a heart attack.
The 'Mother of Rai'
was 83 years old. She just released a new album before her death.
7 March 2006: Malian blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré died
African star blues guitarist Ali Farka Toure died on Tuesday 7 March in Bamako. A
great monument of African music and a cultural ambassador of Malian and African culture passed away. Ali received
two Grammy Awards for the albums Talking Timbuktu and In the Heart of the Moon, a joint recording with
Toumani Diabaté
For further readings: BBC news item BBC obituary
The yearly Kora Awards ceremony takes place for
the ninth time, at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa.
Among the 103 nominated African artists are Chantal Taiba, Kamaldine and
8 years old Madson Junior.
Concert by Odemba OK Rumba Allstars (with Dizzy Mandjeku, Decca, Gege,
Djo Mali, Malage de Lugendo and Nana & Baniel) in the
Royal Tropical
Institute Theater in Amsterdam. Read about the concert
here
13 August 2004:
Beninese Africando singer Gnonnas Pedro died of cancer.
Read more...
10 May 2004:
South African pop star Brenda Fassie dies.
Read more...
the first
three nominees are from West Africa (Baaba Maal, Habib Koité and Africando).
November 30, 1998:
Pépé Kallé died of a heart attack on Sunday morning
29 November 1998.
November 24, 1998:
The Cameroonian artist Pierre Tchana died from complications after brain surgery.
Pierre Tchana was very successful during past decades with his Cameroonian version of salsa music.
