Chandarana Records is a record company from Kericho,

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. The company was known throughout

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

for releasing several thousand 45-rpm singles (on at least 15 different labels) featuring a wide range of Kenyan ( Luo,

Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to: * Luhya people * Luhya language {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

, Kipsigis, Swahili) and Tanzanian groups. Founded by A.P. Chandarana, the company, was one of the earliest record companies in Kenya, having been founded in 1958, recorded for many of Kenya's famous singers, including Collela Mazee and

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 ...

. The company also recorded for a variety of genres, such as Benga, and sold well and were popular in Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroun, and West Africa. The

Daily Nation The ''Daily Nation'' is a Kenyan newspaper. It was founded in 1958 and is published in Nairobi. History The ''Daily Nation'' was started in the year 1958 as a Swahili weekly called ''Taifa'' by the Englishman Charles Hayes. It was bought in 1 ...

had commented that the company's large success was due to A.P Chandarana's efforts to take Benga music "beyond Luo Nyanza to

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Central Province and

Ukambani The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are Bantu peoples ethnic group who predominantly live in Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and northwards to Embu, in the southern part of the former Eastern Province. This land is ...

." The company stopped selling copies of the original recordings from their shop in Kericho in 2008.

References

{{Authority control Kenyan record labels Record label distributors Record labels established in 1958 Kenyan companies established in 1958

See also

References