Bongo Kanda (born 1 January 1955), better known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Kanda Bongo Man, is a Congolese

soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo). It derived from Congolese rumba in ...

musician and singer. His career debuted in 1973 when he became the singer for the Belle Mambo band, developing a sound influenced by

Tabu Ley Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu (13 November 1940 – 30 November 2013), better known as Tabu Ley Rochereau, was a Congolese rumba singer and musician. He was the leader of ''Orchestre Afrisa International'', as well as one of Africa's most influe ...

. His solo career only started to take off after he moved to Paris in 1979, where his music started to incorporate elements of then-vibrant

zouk Zouk is a musical movement and dance pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm, and a loud horn section. Musicians from Mart ...

music popularized by

Kassav Kassav', also alternatively spelled Kassav, is a French Caribbean band that originated from Guadeloupe in 1979. The band's musical style is rooted in the Guadeloupean gwoka rhythm, as well as the Martinican tibwa and Mendé rhythms. Regarded ...

(originating in the

French West Indies The French West Indies or French Antilles (, ; ) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloupe, including the islands of Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Les Saintes, Ma ...

). His first solo albums, ''Iyole'' in 1981 and ''Djessy'' in 1982, were hits. He is known for the structural changes he implemented to soukous

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

. The previous approach was to sing several verses and have one

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melody, melodic passage, instrumental section (music), section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, classical, electric guitar, electric, or acoustic guitar. In 20th and ...

at the end of the song. Kanda Bongo Man revolutionized soukous by encouraging guitar solos after every verse and even sometimes at the beginning of the song. His form of soukous gave birth to the kwassa kwassa dance rhythm where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. Like many African rumba and soukous musicians before him, Kanda Bongo Man also had an entourage of musicians. Many of Kanda's musicians later moved on to start their own solo careers. Most notable of these was

Diblo Dibala Diblo Dibala (born 9 August 1954), often known simply as Diblo, is a Congolese soukous musician, known as "Machine Gun" for his speed and skill on the guitar. He was born in 1954 in Kisangani. He moved to Kinshasa as a child, and aged 15 won a ...

. Known as "Machine Gun," blo Dibala was a vital part of Kanda Bongo Man's lineup on several albums, playing guitar on both ''Kwasa Kwasa'' and ''Amour Fou''. Kanda Bongo Man still tours in Europe and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. He has performed several times at the

Africa Oyé Africa Oyé is an annual festival held annual in Sefton Park, in Liverpool it is the largest celebration of live African music and culture in the UK. Originally a smaller, multi-venue event, Oyé now attracts over fifty thousand people every June ...

Festival in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, most recently in June 2022.

Discography

* ''Iyole'' (1981) * ''Djessy'' (1982) * ''Amour Fou'' (1984) * ''Malinga'' (1985) * ''Lela Lela'' (1986) * ''Sai Liza'' (1987) * '' Kwassa Kwassa'' (1989) * ''Isambe Monie'' (1990) * '' Zing Zong'' (1991) * ''Sango'' (1992) * ''Le Rendez-vous des Stades'' (1993) * '' Soukous in Central Park'' (1993) * ''Welcome to South Africa'' (1995) * ''Francophonix'' (1999) * ''Balobi'' (2002) * ''Swalati'' (2003) * ''Non-Stop Feeling'' (2010) * ''Sweet'' (2010) * ''Yolele! Live in Concert'' (2021) * ''Kekete Bue'' (2022)

Notes

References

*''The African Music Encyclopedia: Music From Africa and the African Diaspora''

External links

*
Soukous.com Kanda Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanda Bongo Man 1955 births Living people People from Mai-Ndombe Province 20th-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers Democratic Republic of the Congo songwriters Soukous musicians 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers