One of the biggest names in contemporary benga music is Dollar Kabarry. For two decades, music pundits have regarded benga as one of Kenya’s most dominant homegrown genres. Its leading performers have occupied a prominent place in the country’s music industry, and Dollar Kabarry is among the musicians who have earned national recognition through their contribution to the genre.

Benga has several advantages over other musical genres, both locally developed and imported. Unlike many of these genres, it has maintained a strong tradition of live performances. This commitment has kept benga music firmly rooted in entertainment joints across the country, where bands perform before live audiences. Consequently, benga musicians are often more visible to their fans and more readily recognised as celebrities than their counterparts performing other genres.

The story of Dollar Kabarry's rise to prominence is closely intertwined with the golden era of benga music. Although the genre began taking shape in the mid-1950s, it reached its peak during the 1970s and 1980s, with its roots firmly established in Siaya and the wider Luo community. This was the era of celebrated musicians such as D.O. Misiani, Prince Jully, Dr. Collela Mazee, and Okatch Biggy, whose contributions helped shape the sound and direction of Kenyan benga.

Dollar Kabarry's stage name is a tribute to his father, Barack Migot. The name Barry is a shortened form of Barack, while Ka is a Dholuo prefix meaning "son of". Thus, Kabarry means "son of Barry", a name acknowledging his paternal heritage. His inheritance went far beyond a name. Dollar inherited his father's musical genes and received his earliest musical training from him. Barack Migot was a revered benga solo guitarist who performed with several bands, including Mutumbu Jazz, a prominent outfit of its era based in Gem, Siaya. He also played alongside Awino Lawi in his Victoria C Band, among other groups, before establishing his own outfit.

Barack was both a singer and a guitarist, an accomplished musician in his own right. His son has often acknowledged the immense musical legacy he left behind, recognizing that matching even a fraction of his father's achievements would be no small feat. It was Barack who introduced his son to music and taught him the basics of performing. Recalling those formative years in an interview, Dollar once said, "He'd carry the drum set to the market to train me from there." His father would shout instructions to the young learner, who was expected to master the lessons under the watchful eye of his demanding teacher. The fear of making mistakes in public pushed the budding musician to work harder and get everything right. It was an unconventional but effective approach to training, reflecting the discipline Barack believed was necessary to produce a capable musician.

Dollar, whose real name is Kevin Omondi, also learned how to sing from his father. Barack's band became his first musical home, giving him an early opportunity to experience the demands of live performance. Perhaps this upbringing explains his confidence in discussing music and his deep understanding of the industry. Beyond being a musician, he is the son of a musician and comes from a family with a multigenerational musical heritage. Despite gaining musical knowledge at a tender age, Dollar's childhood was far from easy. His parents separated while he was still young, exposing him to difficult circumstances. At one point, he survived on the streets of Kisumu as a street boy, an experience that presented immense challenges but also helped shape his determination to succeed.

He has pointed to Megacity in Kisumu as one of the places where he lived alongside other street families. Those difficult years became part of his personal story, illustrating the obstacles he had to overcome before establishing himself as a respected musician.

Dollar's first experience as a performing musician was in his father's band, where his pay was reportedly just KSh 30. Barack believed that a student had to endure hardship and learn to navigate difficulties as part of the training process. It was an approach that exposed his son to the realities of the music business from an early age. Following his father's death in 1998, Dollar continued his musical journey by joining Brother Charlie. He subsequently sang briefly with Aluoch Jamaranda in the band Jamaranda had established before moving to Okatch Biggy's outfit. From there, he joined Ouma Jerry and later CK Dumbe Dumbe, the band associated with legendary musician George Ramogi. Dollar toured extensively with the outfit across the country. By then, the band was managed by Ramogi's wife, Bella, following the legendary musician's death. However, his subsequent move to Okatch Biggy's Heka Heka Band brought Dollar Kabarry closest to the height of his musical fame.

Heka Heka was already a well-established outfit and one of the most popular bands in the country. It had released a string of successful songs that had become favorites among benga fans, earning the band a loyal following and a formidable reputation in the industry. The outfit was divided into two sections, Band A and Band B. While Band B was permanently based in Kisumu, Band A traveled extensively across the country with its leader, Okatch Biggy. Dollar joined Band A, where he found several established musicians, including Ahuja, Adwera, Atito, Jerry Jalamo, Oginga Wuod Awasi, and Bingwa Machacha, among others.

The hostility he encountered upon joining the band may have been a blessing in disguise. As a newcomer, Dollar was initially relegated to performing late at night when the established singers were already tired. He was also barred from performing some of Okatch Biggy's popular songs, perhaps because his colleagues feared his vocal abilities would eventually eclipse theirs. These restrictions forced Dollar to explore another avenue. Instead of relying on the band's established repertoire, he began composing his own songs, several of which would go on to become hits. Among his early compositions was Atoti, a song his fellow band members dismissed as inadequate. The audience had a different opinion. Fans embraced the song, and its popularity became an important stepping stone in Dollar's journey toward musical independence.

Atoti was released on an Okatch Biggy album, but Dollar was not credited as its composer. His photograph was also absent from the cassette cover, unlike those of other musicians associated with the album. Ironically, the song became one of the most sought-after tracks on the release. He subsequently composed Sela, which he released on his own album. The project also featured a reworked version of Atoti, which he adapted to give the song a distinct identity and associate it more closely with his name.

In the reworked version, he sang:

"Pamela baby iyom ka budho

(Pamella, your skin is soft like pumpkin)

Heka Heka nyocha lando baby dichol

(Heka Heka has been praising you)

Sauti donge luoro pinje

(The song has traversed the world)

Kakamega Pamela Atoti Kende

(Kakamega has been singing Atoti)

Kisumu duto mielo Dollar

(The entire Kisumu is dancing to Dollar)

Jobondo duto mielo Dollar

(Bondo is also dancing to Dollar)

Dollar Makabarry Ja choir"

(Dollar, son of Kabarry the choirman)

By mentioning places such as Kakamega, Kisumu, Jobondo, Awendo, and Sony, Dollar gave the song a geographical reach that reflected the popularity of his music. More importantly, he repeatedly inserted his name into the lyrics, making his identity inseparable from the composition.

It was a deliberate move that helped distinguish his version of the song from the one that had initially appeared on the Okatch Biggy album. The strategy reflected an understanding of the importance of musical identity, especially in an industry where compositions could circulate without clear attribution to their original creators. The release of his solo project created a rift between Dollar and Heka Heka. He was eventually dismissed from the band, which was then under Ruth's leadership following Okatch Biggy's death.

That dismissal proved to be a turning point in his career. Dollar went on to establish Orchestra Super Haki Haki, a name that expressed his desire for justice following his departure from Heka Heka. Haki is a Kiswahili word meaning justice or fairness, and the name reflected the grievance that had driven him to leave the outfit and pursue an independent musical career.

Super Haki Haki quickly established itself as a force in the benga scene. Building on the popularity of Dollar's releases, the band won the attention of music lovers across the country and gradually developed its own loyal following. The song Sela became a hit, and the name Atoti began to be used interchangeably with the word for a woman.

Around this same period, Aluoch Jamaranda also left Super Heka Heka to establish his own band, Malo Malo. Aluoch was already a popular musician, and his new outfit benefited from the success of Agutu Nyowila, a song that helped popularize the phrase "Malo Malo". Ownership of the song's famous line was reportedly contested, with Prince Jully also claiming it. The song was composed by Okatch Biggy, but Aluoch Jamaranda introduced the line that became closely associated with his band's name.

Other prominent musicians associated with the Okatch Biggy outfits eventually went their separate ways, among them Jerry Jalamo and Oginga Wuod Awasi. The dispersal of these musicians helped spread the influence of the Heka Heka musical tradition across the Kenyan benga scene as former members established themselves in different bands. While Aluoch Jamaranda's success can partly be attributed to his distinctive singing style, Dollar Kabarry's refined voice has remained one of his greatest musical assets. His vocal delivery, coupled with his experience, songwriting abilities, and understanding of his audience, explains his enduring appeal.

Some of Dollar Kabarry's popular benga songs include Iwacho Awacha, Adundo Mum, Sela, Pamela Atoti, Dabed Gi Pesa, Sando Chunya, and Wololo. Sung predominantly in Dholuo, these songs reflect his distinctive musical style and his contribution to the Kenyan benga scene through Orchestra Super Haki Haki.

Like Aluoch Jamaranda, Dollar also embraced longer compositions than those traditionally associated with benga. Together with subtle changes in musical style and presentation, this development can be viewed as part of the broader evolution of the genre. Over time, contemporary benga increasingly incorporated elements that brought it closer to Congolese rumba, moving away from some of the characteristics that defined the more traditional benga sound of the 1970s.

Dollar Kabarry is married to Connie Kabarry. Over the years, he has released several albums and performed at numerous venues across the country, consolidating his reputation as one of the enduring names in Kenyan benga. Away from music, he also engages in farming on his family's land in Bondo.

One of the most notable aspects of Dollar's career has been his ability to keep Orchestra Super Haki Haki intact over the years. In an industry where bands frequently break up because of internal disagreements, financial difficulties, and the departure of key performers, his outfit has demonstrated remarkable resilience.

The band also enjoys the presence of accomplished musicians, including the formidable solo guitarist Owino Ramji, whose guitar work contributes to its unique sound.

From a difficult childhood on the streets of Kisumu to the demanding stages of Heka Heka, and eventually to the establishment of Orchestra Super Haki Haki, his journey illustrates the determination required to survive and thrive in Kenya's tortuous music industry, known for its unforgiving terrain. Dollar remains among the country's most successful musicians.

BY: Jerome Ogola