180:. In 1947 he returned Leopoldville and quickly rose in the music scene. While Both he and Wendo were singers and guitarists, Jéronimidis saw their strengths, putting Wendo on lead vocals and giving Bowane free range on his long cascading guitar lines. These long bridges, developed out of earlier Congolese folk styles, were called Sebene, reputedly because of the
294:, a style that was enjoyed by cosmopolitan Europeans and Africans alike. One writer has argued that this music, sophisticated, based on Africa music, and not produced by white colonialists especially appealed to Africans in general, and newly urban Congolese in particular.
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Although Wendo had already established himself among the first generation of
Congolese musicians, Bowane's first hit with Wendo was also the more established musician's first huge hit. The song, the first truly international hit of Congolese Rumba, was
235:. Wendo's time on the ferries also contributed to his success as one of the first "national" artists of the DRC: he learned the music of the ethnic groups up and down the river, and later sang not only in his native tongue of
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religious leaders. Stories from the time even claimed that the song, if played at midnight, could raise the dead. The furor drove Wendo out of
Kinshasa, and resulted in a brief imprisonment by the Belgian authorities in
207:, along with the controversy which followed the song (a back-and-forth between Wendo and Henri over Wendo's pursuit of a girl, thwarted by Henri's wealth, with salacious undertones), the song became a success throughout
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in a brightly painted Ngoma van, performing and selling records. The music culture this created not only propelled
Congolese Rumba to fame, but began to develop a national culture for the first time.
317:. Bowane became the dominant musical influence on the label as he moved out of centre stage and into the role of producer, writer, and owner-impresario of the premier nightclub of Leopoldville,
519:, 168, 2002 details this process, and Gary Stewart's Rumba on the River (1999) is the definitive English language work on these years, which made Kinshasa the musical capital of the continent.
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The success of this new music rested upon the burgeoning radio stations and record industry of late colonial
Leopoldville, which often piped music over loudspeakers into the
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merchants, a fixture in colonial
Francophone Africa were amongst the first to bring recording and record pressing equipment to tropical Africa. Jéronimidis' "
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based in
Leopoldville, in 1947. It was among the first handful Congolese recording companies producing music for the African market. Bowane had come to "
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At the beginning of the 1950s, while Wendo remained with Ngoma, Bowane moved on the Jéronimidis' new label,
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Gary
Stewart. Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos. Verso: London (1999)
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306:" company was one of the first and most successful. Jéronimidis and the musicians, barnstormed around
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rhythms and instrumentation spawned one of the most successful
African musical genres:
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121:(DRC). He was the first professional boss and early mentor to the legendary guitarist
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Portions of this article were translated from on French
Knowledge, 2009-01-28.
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457:. Norbert Mbu Mputu, Congo Vision (2005) and in brief in Bob W. White (2002)
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from the
Catholic Church. The combination of African lyrics and vocals with
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483:"Evolution de la musique congolaise moderne de 1930 à 1950" (2005)
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Bob W. White, Congolese Rumba and Other Cosmopolitanisms (2002)
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165:. Ngoma was founded by Nicolas Jéronimidis and his brother,
113:(1926–1992) was an influential figure in the development of
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Bob W. White, Congolese Rumba and Other Cosmopolitanisms,
488:. A.Vungbo, Le Phare Quotidien (Kinshasa), 2008-07-30
407:. RetroAfric/Usurp (2003). Retrieved 28 January 2009
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Ntama: Journal of African Music and Popular Culture
497:"Wendo Kolosoy, 62 ans de carrière musicale" (2005)
536:. African Music Archive at Mainz University (1996)
459:The song is also analysed in Jesse Samba Wheeler.
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446:The Lingala lyrics are transcribed in detail at
546:. RetroAfric/Usurp (2003). Retrieved 2009-01-28
521:See also the review of the 1996 compilation "
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137:'s music schene the late 1940s in which
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461:Rumba Lingala as Colonial Resistance
337:In 1976 he founded the record label
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480:'Father' of Congolese rumba dies
119:Democratic Republic of the Congo
448:ANALYSE MUSICALE "Marie Louisa"
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523:Ngoma: the Early Years
453:6 January 2009 at the
360:Double Take, Tala Kaka
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33:Henri Wa Mayani Bowane
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251:Soukous in the 1950s
141:music combined with
101:Essiebons, Ryco Jazz
75:Musician, songwriter
383:World Music Network
371:Contributing artist
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129:Early career
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89:Years active
22:Henri Bowane
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573:1992 deaths
568:1926 births
349:Discography
292:Cuban music
288:G.V. Series
209:West Africa
170:businessmen
139:Cuban style
557:Categories
390:References
226:Afro-Cuban
155:bandleader
80:Instrument
29:Birth name
364:Ryco Jazz
339:Ryco Jazz
325:to own a
315:Loningisa
269:Congo Bar
147:guitarist
93:1947–1992
530:Archived
464:Archived
451:Archived
327:Cadillac
300:Lebanese
281:American
277:European
273:La ville
220:and his
213:Catholic
563:Soukous
381:(2008,
362:(1976,
257:African
245:Swahili
241:Lingala
237:Kikongo
186:Sebene!
161:by the
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354:Albums
265:curfew
151:singer
98:Labels
62:Genres
525:" at
319:Quint
304:Ngoma
296:Greek
167:Greek
56:Zaire
432:ISBN
298:and
279:and
261:Cite
243:and
153:and
50:Died
41:1926
38:Born
229:son
174:Leo
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