Benga is a

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...

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 proper ...

. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of

soukous 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 impro ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

n kwela, Congolese finger-style guitar and various kinds of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

that heavily influenced emergence of benga. There were also popular folk songs of Kenya's Luo peoples that formed the base on benga creation.

Luo Benga

The Luo of Kenya have long played an eight-string

lyre The lyre () is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it ...

called '' nyatiti'', and guitarists from the area sought to imitate the instrument's

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "plac ...

melodies. In benga, the electric

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

is played in a style reminiscent of the nyatiti. As late as the turn of the twentieth century, this bass in nyatiti supported the rhythm essential in transmitting knowledge about society through music. Opondo Owenga of Gem Yala, the grandfather of

Odhiambo Siangla Odhiambo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Agnes Odhiambo (accountant), Kenyan accountant and civil servant * Agnes Odhiambo (activist), Kenyan human rights activist who works at Human Rights Watch * Alfred Odhiambo, Kenyan ...

, was known for employing music as a means of teaching the history of the Luo. The father of the popular Luo Benga is non-other than The Famous George Ramogi (Omogi Wuod Weta) and CK Jazz. He helped the Benga enthusiasts by recording their Benga music in different labels in the capital city of Nairobi. Dr. Mengo of Victoria Jazz was a protege of George Ramogi. In 1967, the first major benga band, Shirati Jazz, was formed by

Daniel Owino Misiani Daniel Owino Misiani (22 February 1940 – 17 May 2006) was a Tanzanian-born musician based in Kenya, where he led the Shirati Jazz collective. He was known as the "King of History" in Kenya; overseas and in Tanzania, he was known as "the grand ...

(22 February 1940 – 17 May 2006).Onyor, J.O. (2019). Political imagery and symbolism in Daniel Owino Misiani’s benga songs. Master’s Thesis. Maseno University, Kenya. https://repository.maseno.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/1435/corrected%20copy%20thesis.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (25 February 2021). The group launched a string of hits that were East Africa's biggest songs throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Shirati Jazz's biggest rival was

Victoria Jazz Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, formed in 1972 by

Ochieng Nelly Mengo Ochieng is an African name. People with this name include: * Bernard Ochieng, Kenyan footballer * Collins Ochieng (born 1987), Kenyan footballer * Daudi Ochieng (1925–1966), Ugandan politician * David Ochieng (born 1992), Kenyan footballer * Dunc ...

and

Collela Mazee Collela Mazee (real name Richard Owino Osalla) was a Kenyan musician, who was a leading member of the Victoria Jazz band alongside Ochieng Nelly. They were among the originators of benga music, a music genre with origins in Kenya's Luoland. His ...

. Despite many personnel changes, Victoria Jazz remained popular throughout the 1970s, when the

Voice of Kenya Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is the state-run media organisation of Kenya. It broadcasts in English and Swahili, as well as in most local languages of Kenya. The corporation started its life in 1928 when Kenya was a British colony. I ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

pushed an onslaught of East African pop. Victoria C Band of

Awino Lawi Awino is a settlement in Kenya's Homa Bay County. History Before the Kenyan general election in 2013, Awino voted as part of the Nyanza Province Nyanza Province (; sw, Mkoa wa Nyanza) was one of Kenya's eight administrative provinces bef ...

was one of the splinter group of Victoria Jazz. 1997 saw the death of three prominent Luo Benga artist,

Okatch Biggy Elly Mathayo Okatch, better known as Okatch Biggy (1954–1997) was a Kenyan benga musician. His first album "Helena Wang’e Dongo, released in 1992 brought him into the limelight. Early life Okatch (Okatch Biggy) is one of the Kenyan musicia ...

of ''Heka Heka Band'',

George Ramogi George Ramogi (1945–1997) was a Kenyan musician, who empowered the traditional luo ''benga and rumba'' genre of music. Ramogi was known for his spur of the good life and his notable appearances at bars and clubs in western Kenya- Nyanza region ...

and Prince Jully. The ''Jolly Boys Band'' of Prince Jully was taken over by his wife

Princess Jully Princess Jully (real name Lilian Auma Aoka) is a benga musician from Kenya. Early life Lilian Auma Aoka was born in the village of Makalda in South Nyanza, in southwestern part of Kenya. Her father died when she was one week old, leaving her moth ...

and she has since been a leading female Benga musician. Another famous benga band Migori Super Stars was formed in the mid-70s and was led by Musa Olwete which later split to form another popular benga band Migori Super Stars C with musicians such as Joseph Ochola (Kasongo Polo Menyo), Onyango Jamba, Ochieng' Denge denge and others. More modern benga artists include Kapere Jazz Band and the rootsy Ogwang Lelo Okoth. The new millennium has seen the emergence of

Dola Kabarry Kevin Omondi Migot (born c. 1982) better known for his stage name Dola Kabarry is a benga musician from Kenya. He leads the band Orchestra Super Haki Haki. His songs are mainly in Dholuo language. His father Barrack Migot led the band Bondo Supe ...

and Musa Juma. The latter saw his career cut short as he died in 2011. MJ, as he was popularly known to his fans, developed a kind of benga that infused elements of rumba. he was able to mold other musicians such as John Junior, Ogonji, Madanji, and his late brother Omondi Tonny.Daily Nation, 16 March 2011
Benga maestro leaves fans waiting for more
/ref> There are also other benga artists based in other countries other than Kenya, such as the American/Kenyan group

Extra Golden Extra Golden is a musical ensemble founded by two Americans and one Kenyan. History Bandmember Ian Eagleson studied Benga music from Nairobi for his Ph.D. thesis, and received assistance from Otieno Jagwasi, a Kenyan musician who played in a group ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benga Music Kenyan styles of music African popular music

Luo Benga

See also

References