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RECORDS: APARTHEID IS NAZISM YITZAK RABIN
1953 -
COTE D'IVOIRE
Alias: | Seydou Konè |
| Member of: | The Solar System |
| Language: | Dioula English French |
| Genre: | Reggae |
| Instrument: | Male vocals |
Articles: Biography & discography Rhythms of the continent - BBC
On the Internet Music & videos Uoffisiell hjemmeside, på norsk Music samples
Seydou Kone was born on the Ivory Coast. He has never known his biological father, but was brought up by his mother and grandmother. The grandmother, Cherie Coco, had a tough time bringing up the rebellious and wild lad, and when he was a child she gave him the nickname “Blondy”, which means bandit. As an adult the artist added the name “Alpha” to this, becoming “Bandit Number One”. As a teenager he heard much French rock in addition to The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Otis Redding and the African traditional music in his hometown of Dimbokoro. Later on he was greatly inspired by the reggae artists, Bob Marley and Burning Spear. At the age of 20 he went to the USA to study English, but it seems the young Seydou had a great interest in music and poured most of his energy into performing in clubs and in the parks with Marley songs. A producer, Clive Hunt, heard him and recorded six of his songs, but then took the tape and disappeared with it. Shortly thereafter Seydou Kone was more or less taken home to the Ivory Coast where he was at odds with both the police and his stepfather. He was imprisoned but managed to escape and has since gone by the name of Alpha Blondy. Not long after, in 1983, he broke through into TV on the programme “First Chance”. The next year he signed a contract with EMI in France and recorded his first songs with his band, The Solar System. In 1986 he made his third album, “Jerusalem”, with The Wailers for Tuff Gong in Jamaica, and has since produced a rack of disks and gained a solid international position. His album from 1992, “Masada”, was for example released in over 50 countries and went double gold in France. After having lived in Paris for a decade, he moved back to the Ivory Coast in the mid 1990s, where today he is acknowledged as a power in music around the studios of Abidjan.
Relevant artists: Ismael Isaac Koko Dembele Lucky Dube Oliver Ngoma
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Last Modified:
22 nov 2009
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APARTHEID IS NAZISM 
Sterns Africa/1986
Alpha Blondy’s African reggae is easy and melodious, but has a solid core, all the same. His band, The Solar System, maintains a high standard and Alpha Blondy himself sings really well with a light but warm voice. On this album he sings in Dioula and English about Allah, Jesus, OAU and apartheid. It spreads itself far and wide both verbally and in terms of content, yet enforces his real, credible involvement. The production is full and fine with both guitar and sax clear in the picture. It is never monotonous and the rhythms are constantly varied; a little classic, this.
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YITZAK RABIN
Sterns Africa/1998
Recorded in Abidjan, Paris and Kingston produced by Africando member, Boncana Maiga. Guest appearances by I Threes and Dean Frazer.
KJØP PLATE Editor: Bjørn-Erik Hanssen
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