(1955-01-01) 1 January 1955 (age 69) Inongo, Belgian Congo now Democratic Republic of Congo
Genres
Soukous, kwassa kwassa music
Occupation(s)
Singer, musician
Instrument(s)
Vocals, guitar
Years active
1980–present
Labels
Bongo Man
Musical artist
Kanda Bongo Man (born Bongo Kanda;[1] 1955) is a Congolese soukous musician born in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2][3] He became the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973,[3] developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley.[4] His solo career only started to take off after he moved in 1979 to Paris, where his music started to incorporate elements of then-vibrant zouk music popularized by Kassav (originating in the French West Indies).[3] His first solo albums, Iyole in 1981 and Djessy in 1982, were hits.[3]
He is known for the structural changes he implemented to soukous music. The previous approach was to sing several verses and have one guitar solo 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. Known as "Machine Gun", Diblo Dibala was a vital part of Kanda Bongo Man's lineup on several albums, playing guitar on both Kwasa Kwasa[5] and Amour Fou.[6]
Kanda Bongo Man still tours in Europe and the United States. In July 2005 he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall. He has performed several times at the Africa Oyé Festival in Liverpool, most recently in June 2022.[7]
^"Kanda interview with The AfroNew". Archived from the original on 2016-02-03.
^"African Music Encyclopedia: Kanda Bongo Man". Africanmusic.org. Archived from the original on May 31, 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
^ abcdColin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 162. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
^Chris Stapleton's sleevenotes to Heartbeat Soukous
^"Kwassa Kwassa - Kanda Bongo Man | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
^"Amour Fou - Kanda Bongo Man | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
^"Lineup Africa Oyé 2022". Retrieved 21 June 2022.
KandaBongoMan (born BongoKanda; 1955) is a Congolese soukous musician born in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He became the singer for Orchestra...
Look up kanda in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Kanda may refer to: Kanda (surname) KandaBongoMan (born 1955), Congolese soukous musician Kanda, Tokyo...
Central Park is a live album by the Congolese musician KandaBongoMan, released in 1993. Kanda promoted the album with a North American tour. The album...
which band he first played with KandaBongoMan. In 1979, he moved to Brussels, and in 1981 he joined KandaBongoMan's band in Paris. Their first album...
rougher garage-like sound that launched the careers of Pepe Kalle and KandaBongoMan, among others. By the beginning of the 1990s, many of the most popular...
Syran Mbenza, Lokassa Ya M'Bongo, Pépé Kallé, Rémy Sahlomon, and KandaBongoMan. Homegrown talents like Viviano Torres, Luis Towers, and Charles King...
Fou (2014 film) Amour Fou (The Sopranos) Amour Fou, 1984 album by KandaBongoMan L'Amour fou (album), 2012 album by Françoise Hardy "Amour Fou" by John...
including Papa Wemba's Viva La Musica, Bozi Boziana's Anti-Choc, KandaBongoMan, Koffi Olomide, Kékélé, Paul Simon, and Fally Ipupa. His name is mostly...
mother of all send offs. We are so very happy to finally bring the Rocket Man to Worthy Farm!" The remaining two headliners, Arctic Monkeys, headlining...
Byrne, Lost Map presents Weird Wave, Rozi Plain, Alabaster Deplume, KandaBongoMan, Special Interest, Gina Birch, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Anna B Savage,...
Margin, a classic Chinese novel Zing Zong, a 1991 soukous album by KandaBongoMan This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Zong...
Cheltenham Racecourse Redemption Songs GB34 24–27 August 2007 Billy Bragg, KandaBongoMan, Coldcut, Over the Rhine, John Tavener, Delirious?, Rebecca Worthley...
such as Salala from Madagascar, Koffi Olomide Fally Ipupa Papa Wemba, KandaBongoMan, from Democratic Republic of the Congo and musicians from Mozambique...
Global Information