Vincent Nguini (July 1952 – December 8, 2017) was a Cameroonian musician and guitarist. Nguini was best known for his work with American singer-songwriter

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

, with whom he recorded and toured for 30 years.

Biography

Nguini was born in July 1952 in

Obala Obala is a town in Cameroon's Centre Province, Cameroon, Centre Province, ca 45 km north of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. Overview The town is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese and hosts a military academy. Tourists in Obala may vi ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. He grew up interested in music through African music as well as American rock and jazz artists. He relocated to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1978 and began working as a session musician. He became the musical director for

Manu Dibango Emmanuel N'Djoké "Manu" Dibango (12 December 1933 – 24 March 2020) was a Cameroonian musician and songwriter who played saxophone and vibraphone. He developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian music. His father w ...

in the late 1970s and subsequently lived in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 1987, he joined

's band, first contributing to his 1990 album ''

The Rhythm of the Saints ''The Rhythm of the Saints'' is the eighth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released on October 16, 1990, by Warner Bros. In much the same way that Simon's previous album, ''Graceland'', released in 1986, drew upon Sout ...

''. On that album, he received a co-writing credit for the song "The Coast". Throughout the next two decades, Nguini recorded with artists like

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

and

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

, while releasing his own albums on his own label, Nguini Records. He continued working with Simon as well, contributing to his albums and touring with him into his final years.

Death

Nguini died of

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

at age 65 on December 8, 2017, in

Abadiânia Abadiânia is a municipality in the state of Goiás, Brazil. Location Abadiânia is part of the Microregion of Entorno do Distrito Federal, Entorno do Distrito Federal statistical micro-region. Neighboring municipalities are: *North: Pirenópolis, ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

References

External links

* 1952 births 2017 deaths Cameroonian musicians African jazz guitarists 20th-century Cameroonian people 21st-century Cameroonian musicians Rhythm guitarists Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in Goiás Lead guitarists Cameroonian expatriates in France Cameroonian expatriates in the United States People from Centre Region (Cameroon) {{Africa-musician-stub