Epifânia de Freitas Silva Ramos Évora, better known as Tututa, was born in Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, on January 6, 1919, the daughter of António da Silva Ramos and Eugénia Maria e Freitas Silva Ramos. Following in the footsteps of her father,the pioneer coladeira composer Anton Tchitche, Tututa became an excellent pianist, who enchanted the city of Mindelo in the 1940s and 50s.
Also an excellent composer, Tututa Èvora, who now resides on the island of Sal, has also given Cape Verde two singers: her daughters Sónia and Magda Évora.
His fans called him the"Doctor of hypertension",a reference to the healing power of his music,that joyous,celebratory highlife,the juncture where high-society bands and African rhythms and idioms meet.
Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe reinvented highlife by adding the sounds of merengue and rumba and succeeded in completely transforming it into the call-and-response pattern of African music.
Born in March 1936 in Atani,near the Igbo trading city of Onitsha to Dennis Obi Osadebe and Iyom Nwanjiego in 1934,Osadebe had his early education
at the St. John Catholic School and the Our Lady’s High School both in Onisha, Anambra State.
On completion of secondary school, Osadebe had a stint as a clerk with the SCOA before plunging into full time music in 1958.
He first joined Stephen Amechi’s Empire Rhythm Skies as a vocalist and maracas player.
Osadebe later left Amechi for such notable bands like the E.C. Arinze’s,Agu Norris’,
Eric Onugha’s Eddy Okonta’s, Chuks Nwamama’s, Zeal Onyia’s and Charles Iwegbue’s groups.
Surprisingly, in 1960, Osadebe quit music and headed for the classroom. For 2 years, between 1960 and 62, he studied Trade Unionism in the Soviet Union.
But after obtaining his diploma, in 1962, Osadebe returned to the country to establish Stephen Osadebe and His Nigerian Sound Makers.
He describes the points of his music as:
"Two personalities were greatly respected and sought-after during those highlife days -the vocalist and the guitar player. The guitarist provided palm wine chords which held the orchestra togetherand also indulged in interminably long guitar solos that kept dancers on the floor for long periods of time.
The vocalist projected the entire band and remained the main focus. Osadebe was one of the leading singers
on the scene - along with Joe Mensah, Tunde Osofisan, Godwin Omabuwa.
Acclaimed for his sonorous voice and rootsy Igbo Iyrics Osadebe recorded about 100 records including singles,extended and lp's in his repertoire
A prolific composer,Osadebe has won many honors and awards including the PMAN award . He also had the title Ogbuefi Ezealulukwu in his village.A real chief!
Stephen Osita Osadebe passed away at the age of 73 on the 11th of May, 2007.
Emmanuel Obiajulu,Osadebe’s eldest son
followed his father’s footsteps,but unfortunately passed away at the beginning of 09.
Latozi Mpahleni better known as Madosini was born in 1922 in the Eastern Cape Province. She has, since she was recorded for the first time in the late 1970 become famous as a specialist player of the Uhadi (music bow), Umrhubhe (mouth bow) and the Isitolotolo (jew’s harp). Madosini plays in the traditional styles of the amaMpondo but composes her own songs and music and has over the years participated in many a festival, both in SA and overseas.
Madosini, known in Mpondoland as ‘the Veteran’, has devoted her life to keeping alive the musical tradition of her people. Her music is unique not just in its scope but in the variety and range of feelings it evokes. A legend amongst her people also as a story teller, Madosini ought really be treated as a living national cultural treasure, instead she is known only to a select few. She has succeeded not only in preserving her culture, but also in being continuously creative in the unique style of traditional amaMpondo music...*** ... more to read
posted originally in my old blog freedomblues and time to reappear
Although Ethiopiques kick off with a Muluken Melesse track and a couple more have sprang in the series,the man himself and his music remain relatively unknown to the rest of the world.An artist as important as Mahmoud Ahmed or Tilahun Gessesse during his heyday in the 70's, is "inexplicably" doomed to oblivion. Let's try to correct a little, this injustice:
Muluken Melesse was born in 1954 in northern Ethiopia's province of Gojjiam.After wandering extensively with his uncle,at the age of six they settled in Addis Ababa.The phenomenally precocious Muluken Melesse was just 12 when he began his singing career in 1966 at the Patric Lumuba night club.Like many vocalists of the period, he started off with the different Police bands, and went on to sing with the first non-institutional groups of those founded by nightclub owners(Blue Nile Band, Zula Band, Venus Band, Equators Band...)
Hedetch Alu" was the first song he recorded on vinyl at the beginning of 1972. In a very short period of time his popularity soared sky-high. Backed by the Dahlak, Roha (as Ibex), and Ethio-Stars bands, Muluken has recorded from 1972 till 1976 a series of successful cassettes and records and in 1976 what was to be his last hit, Ney Ney Wodaje. Muluken abandoned his career during the 80's to devote himself and his voice to the Pentacostal church and continued singing gospels occasionally .The magic was gone. Wishful thinking among his fans regularly gives rise to rumors of a comeback, but none has materialized..... When Muluken Melesse came to the scene, he brought the Balager Sound, the "Ethiopian Roots Music" of the rural villages in Ethiopia to cosmopolitan Addis Ababa , reversing the trend of simply aping Western music. Muluken captured that essence and the entire feel of the "Real Ethiopia". In Ethiopia's poetic tradition there are the sam-ennawarq (wax and gold) verses , songs that are apparently about love, but subliminally they level serious criticism at the rulers and political or social conditions. Sam-ennawarq is open to so much interpretation that listeners enjoy arguing all day for their exact meaning.An example from Muluken's lyrics: Tenesh Kelbe Lay Please, leave my heart alone. Why don't you leave my heart alone? I want to be free like other human beings. Something which I don't understand. What did I see that stung me so? I have seen beyond beauties, but I have been stung still by your love. Your love disarms me. Everything looks so nice on her. Her beauty is misleading. I love the way you dance seksta, shaking your lovely neck and shoulders. Saddle my horse, so that I can ride to her and drink deep of the feast of her love.
3 tracks have been added ,one was left out
new link Wax and Gold
with the great unknown Muluken Melesse.
