Richard Bona is a Grammy-winning musician, bassist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who was born in the village of Minta, Cameroon, in 1967. Surrounded by music from a young age, with a grandfather who was a griot and a mother who sang in the local church choir, Bona began performing at age five and was noted for his ability to learn instruments simply by observing them. After moving to the city of Douala at age eleven, he built his own 12-string guitar with bicycle brake cables for strings and later, at age 13 or 14, was hired to assemble a band for a local French jazz club. It was there he discovered the self-titled album of Jaco Pastorius, which inspired him to become a bass player. In 1989, at age 22, he moved to Paris and then to New York City in 1995, establishing a reputation for his virtuosity. He has collaborated with numerous renowned artists including Joe Zawinul, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Harry Belafonte, for whom he served as musical director. Bona began his solo career with his debut album, Scenes From My Life, in 1999, and his music is a unique fusion of jazz, world, Afropop, and other styles, reflecting his Cameroonian roots.