Moreno Batamba

Country	Congo

Morris "Moreno" Batamba Wenda (1955–1993) was an influential Congolese vocalist and composer whose sultry, silky-smooth bass voice anchored the East African Zilizopendwa golden era. After leaving school in 1971 to join Orchestre Maquis Sasa Bata, he migrated through Uganda and Kenya with Jojo Ikomo’s Orchestra Bana Moja (later Bana Ngenge), before the duo joined the legendary outfit Les Noirs in 1975. Following a stint in Tanzania, Moreno returned to Nairobi to co-found Orchestre Shika Shika in 1980 and later established his own signature band, L'Orchestre First Moja-One. Celebrated for his 1983 masterpiece album Sister Pili and timeless collaborations with Samba Mapangala's Orchestra Virunga, he built a massive regional fanbase with his Swahili-infused rumba. Tragically, just as he staged a major comeback with a new album riding high on the Kenyan pop charts, Batamba passed away suddenly in Nairobi in 1993 at the young age of 38.