Anthology - Album

Manu Dibango Born 12 December 1933 In Douala Cameroon Is A Cameroonian Saxophonist And Vibraphone Player. He Developed A Musical Style Fusing Jazz Funk And Traditional Cameroonian Music. He Is A Member Of The Yabassi Ethnic Group Though His Mother Was A Duala. He Is Best Remembered For His Afrobeat Single "Soul Makossa" Often Considered The First Disco Record. Biography Early Life Dibango Was Born Emmanuel Dibango N'Djoké At 11 00 PM WAT 10 00 PM UTC On 12 December 1933 In Douala Cameroon. His Father Michel Manfred N'Djoké Dibango Was A Civil Servant. The Son Of A Farmer He Met His Wife Travelling By Pirogue To Her Residence Douala. A Literate Woman She Was A Fashion Designer Running Her Own Small Business. Both Her Ethnicity The Duala And His The Yabassi Viewed This Union Of Different Ethnic Groups In A Poor Manner. Emmanuel Had No Siblings Although He Had A Stepbrother From His Father's Previous Marriage Who Was Four Years Older Than Him. In Cameroon One's Ethnicity Is Dictated By Their Fathers Though He Wrote In His Autobiography Three Kilos Of Coffee That He Has "never Been Able To Identify Completely With Either Of His Parents." Dibango's Uncle Was The Leader Of His Extended Family. Upon His Death Dibango's Father Refused To Take Over As He Never Fully Initiated His Son Into The Yabassi's Customs. Throughout His Childhood Dibango Slowly Forgot The Yabassi Language In Favor Of The Duala. However His Family Did Live In The Yabassi Encampment On The Bassa Plateau Close To The Wouri River In Central Douala. While A Child Dibango Attended Protestant Church Every Night For Religious Education Or Nkouaida. He Enjoyed Studying Music There And Reportedly Was A Fast Learner. After Being Educated At His Village School In 1941 Dibango Was Accepted Into "the White Man's School" 2 Kilometres 1 Mi From The Compound. While There He Was Forced To Learn French. He Admired The Teacher Whom He Described As "an Extraordinary Draftsman And Painter." In 1944 French President Charles De Gaulle Chose This School To Perform The Welcoming Ceremonies Upon His Arrival In Cameroon. Career He Was A Member Of The Seminal Congolese Rumba Group African Jazz And Has Collaborated With Many Other Musicians Including Fania All Stars Fela Kuti Herbie Hancock Bill Laswell Bernie Worrell Ladysmith Black Mambazo Don Cherry And Sly And Robbie. In 1998 He Recorded The Album CubAfrica With Cuban Artist Eliades Ochoa . The Song Of The Same Name On That Record Contains The Lyrics "makossa" Which Means " I Dance" In His Native Tongue The Cameroonian Language Duala . It Has Influenced Several Popular Music Hits Including Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" As Well As His Re-Recording Of That Song With Akon The Fugees' "Cowboys" And Rihanna's "Don't Stop The Music".The 1982 Parody Song "Boogie In Your Butt" By Comedian Eddie Murphy Interpolates Soul Makossa's Bassline And Horn Charts While "Butt Naked Booty Bless" By 1990s Hip Hop Group Poor Righteous Teachers Heavily Samples Its Musical Bridge And Drum Patterns. He Served As The First Chairman Of The Cameroon Music Corporation With A High Profile In Disputes About Artists' Royalties. Dibango Was Appointed A UNESCO Artist For Peace In 2004. Discography Soul Makossa 1972 Fiesta Records O Boso 1973 London/PolyGram Records Makossa Man 1974 Atlantic Records Makossa Music 1975 Manu 76 1976 Decca/PolyGram Records Super Kumba 1976 Decca/PolyGram Records Ceddo O.S.T 1977 Fiesta Records A L'Olympia 1978 Fiesta Records Afrovision 1978 Mango/Island/PolyGram Records Sun Explosion 1978 Decca/PolyGram Records Gone Clear 1980 Mango/Island/PolyGram Records Ambassador 1981 Mango/Island/PolyGram Records Waka Juju 1982 Polydor/PolyGram Records Mboa 1982 Sonodisc/Afrovision Electric Africa 1985 Celluloid Afrijazzy 1986 Deliverance 1989 Afro Rhythmes Happy Feeling 1989 Stern's Rasta Souvenir 1989 Disque Esperance Polysonik 1992 Live '91 1994 Stern's Music Wakafrika 1994 Giant/Warner Bros. Records CubAfrica With Eliades Ochoa 1998 read less