Afric Simone (born Henrique Simone, 17 July 1956) is a Mozambican vocalist, musician, performance artist, multi-instrumentalist, dancer and entertainer. He entered the European charts with his first hit "

Ramaya "Ramaya" is a song by Mozambican recording artist Afric Simone in 1975, sung in Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili ...

" in 1975, which was followed by another well-known song, "Hafanana", which was released later the same year. Simone reached the peak of his popularity between 1975 and 1980 on both sides of the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

, hence he toured the USSR, Poland, the

GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

and Czechoslovakia in the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

, and retains that popularity even today throughout Europe. Simone is one of the most prominent African musicians, being one of the few musicians of Mozambican ethnicity who sold-out shows at major international venues including L'Olympia, The Royal Albert Hall and the

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

Biography

Simone was born in

Inhambane Inhambane, also known as Terra de Boa Gente (''Land of Good People''), is a city located in southern Mozambique, lying on Inhambane Bay, 470 km northeast of Maputo. It is the capital of the Inhambane Province and according to the 2017 census ...

, to a Brazilian father and Mozambique-origin mother, but at the age of 9 (after his father's death) he and his mother had to move to her motherland Mozambique on the east coast of Africa, at Xipamanine in the capital city Lourenço Marques, now Maputo. Once, when he appeared on stage in Maputo, his manager asked him to come to London. With first steps in show business in London, he has gathered invaluable experience for appearances in other European capitals. He gathered experience in doing gigs all over Europe. He was lucky that Eddie Barclay, the French record tycoon, went to see a show in Paris. They immediately signed the contract. Afric Simone speaks German, English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, and various African languages, however his songs are written in the mixture of

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...

and few words from other languages. This idea resulted in a mixture of his own native tongue and European Happy Sound. Simone is also said to have pioneered the arts of breakdancing and beatboxing as can be seen in his live performances, for instance in the televised performance of his song "Playa Blanca", c.1975. In 1978, he settled in Berlin, Germany. Afric Simone has been married 3 times. His current wife is ethnically Russian. They have met in Berlin in 2003. Afric Simone has been appearing in TV shows in France, Italy, Germany and Belarus.

Discography

Albums

* 1974 - ''Mr. Barracuda'' (BASF, 2021932) * 1975 - ''Ramaya'' (Barclay, 70024) * 1976 - ''Aloha Playa Blanca'' (CNR) * 1978 - ''Boogie Baby'' (RCA) * 1978 - ''Jambo Jambo'' (Epic) * 1981 - ''Marria Sexy Bomba De Paris'' (Epic) * 1990 - ''Afro Lambada'' (Multisonic)

CD

* 1989 - '' Best of Afric Simone'' (re-edition 2002 with bonus tracks)

Singles

* 1974 - "Barracuda" / "Hûmbala" (Ariola 1974) * 1975 - "

" / "Piranha" (

Barclay Barclay may refer to: People * Barclay (surname) * Clan Barclay Places * Barclay, Kansas * Barclay, Maryland, a town in Queen Anne's County * Barclay, Baltimore, Maryland, a neighborhood * Barclay, Nevada, a town in Lincoln County * Barclay, ...

, BRCNP 40066) * 1976 - "Hafanana" / "Sahara" (Barclay, BRCNP 40072) * 1976 - "Aloha-Wamayeh" / "Al Capone" (

Hansa Hansa may refer to: Places *Hanseatic League, a 13th–17th century alliance of European trading cities *Hansa (shopping centre), in Turku, Finland *Hansa-Park, a German attraction park *480 Hansa, a main-belt asteroid, a minor planet orbiting th ...

, 17 586 AT) * 1977 - "Maria Madalena" / "Aloha" (Barclay) * 1977 - "

Playa Blanca Playa Blanca (Spanish for "White Beach") is the southernmost town of the Spanish island of Lanzarote. It is the newest resort on the island, and is part of the municipality of Yaiza Yaiza is a small town in the island of Lanzarote in the Ca ...

" / "Que Pasa Mombasa" ( Musart, MI 30387) * 1978 - "Playa Blanca" / Marabu (Barclay) * 1980 - "China Girl" / "Salomé" (Barclay)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simone, Afric 1956 births Living people Mozambican guitarists 21st-century Mozambican male singers People from Maputo Mozambican emigrants to Germany