Samba Mapangala is a Congolese singer and bandleader who has been based in Kenya for most of his five-decade musical career, most notably there creating and leading Virunga, which has been one of the most popular bands in East Africa for more than 35 years. He was born in

Matadi Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, ...

in what is now the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. He moved to Kinshasa, where he finished secondary school, in the early 1970s (or in 1977 according to one source, but that year is contradicted by other information in the same and other sources). After finishing school he was a member of several 1970s Kinshasa bands: he sang with Super Tukina who recorded his first hit, "Satonge," then he joined Super Bella Bella alongside Jean Bosco and Mongoley, a guitarist formerly of Orchestre Lipua Lipua, and he also played with Bariza and Saka Saka. Mapangala moved to

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

in 1975 where he and some other Congolese musicians formed the Les Kinois band. They moved to

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

in 1977. He formed a new band, the Orchestra Virunga, in 1981. The band is named after Virunga volcano located in Congo. Orchestra Virunga released their first album, ''It's Disco Time with Samba Mapangala'' in 1982. In the early 1990s the group gained some international popularity through album releases like ''

Virunga Volcano ''Virunga Volcano'' is an album by the Congolese musician Samba Mapangala, released in 1990. He is credited with his band, Orchestre Virunga. The album was first released, in Europe, in 1985. "Malako" was a hit in Africa, and is regarded as a peren ...

'' and ''Feet on Fire''. He has continued to record, and is still one of the leading musicians in East Africa. He is now based in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Mapangala began performing with Occidental Brothers Dance Band International in the fall of 2009. Mapangala is considered one of the golden era of Kenyan

Lingala music Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music from Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, becoming known for its fast dance rhythms and intricate guitar improvis ...

acts alongside

Les Mangelepa Les Mangelepa is a musical group from Kenya. It is considered as one of the golden era of Kenyan Lingala music acts alongside Super Mazembe, Baba Gaston and Samba Mapangala. The group was formed in 1976 as a splinter of Baba Gaston Baba and simil ...

Baba Gaston Baba and similar words may refer to: Places * Baba mountain range, also known as ''Koh-i-Baba'', in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan * Baba Canton, a canton in Los Ríos Province, Ecuador * Baba, Iran, a village in Kurdistan Province * Baba, Kohg ...

and

Super Mazembe Orchestra Super Mazembe was a popular band based in Kenya playing Lingala (Soukous) music. The band had roots in Super Vox, a band formed in 1967 in Zaire and led by Nashil Pichen Kazembe, Mutonkole Longwa Didos. The band moved to Nairobi in 1974 a ...

. At the 2004

Tanzania Music Awards Tanzania Music Awards are national music awards held annually in Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes re ...

his album ''Ujumbe'' was nominated in the best African Album category.

Discography

;Albums * ''It's Disco Time with Samba Mapangala'' (1982) * ''Mabiala'' (1983) * ''Evasion, vol. 2'' (1983) * ''Malako'' (1984) e-release of "Disco Time"* ''Safari'' (1988) (Kenyan cassette) * ''Vunja Mifupa'' (1989) (CBS Kenya IVA 071, cassette) * ''Paris-Nairobi'' (1990) (European cassette) * ''

'' 1990 (Earthworks, CD) e-release of "Malako"/"Disco Time" / plus 2 songs* ''Feet On Fire'' (1990 or 1991)(Stern's Africa STCD 1036, CD) * ''Karibu Kenya'' (1995) (Sun Music, CD) * ''Vunja Mifupa'' (1997) (Lusam 01, CD) * ''Song and Dance'' (2006"] * ''Ujumbe'' (2001) (Stern's / Earthworks STEW43CD) * ''Virunga Roots Volume 1'' (2004) (Samba Mapangala) * ''Virunga'' or '' Samba Mapangala In Paris'' (?) enyan cassette, 4 songs from "Virunga Roots Volume 1"* ''Song and Dance'' (2006) (Virunga Records) * ''African Classics: Samba Mapangala & Virunga'' (2008) (Sheer Sound) * ''Live on Tour'' (2009) * ''Maisha Ni Matamu (Life Is Sweet)'' (2011) ;Contributing artist *''

The Rough Guide to the Music of Kenya and Tanzania ''The Rough Guide to the Music of Kenya and Tanzania'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 1996. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, it focuses on the music of Kenya and Tanzania, two countries which share ...

'' (1996) (

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" compet ...

)

External links

Virunga records

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mapangala, Samba Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Matadi Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to the United States Kenyan emigrants to the United States Democratic Republic of the Congo musicians