Kenya may not have attained the same level of musical success as the DRC, but seemingly, the genesis of its musical narratives bears striking similarities. The earliest local recording company in Kenya was East African Records, which established a recording studio with its record label, a house band called Jambo Boys, and a pressing plant based in the Industrial Area in the early 1950s.
This was a milestone in the commercialization of music and created prospects for professional musicians for the very first time. In 1960, a retired British army officer, Peter Colmore, established yet another recording label in Nairobi known as High Fidelity. This is the facility that housed Eduard Masengo and his cousin Jean Bosco Mwenda Wa Bayeke—the very first Congolese musicians to set foot in Kenya—as well as Fundi Konde and other musicians. Before the establishment of these two recording companies, a few dozen Kenyan musicians had been produced under the British label HMV. Other early record labels were CMS (Capitol Music Store), AGS (African Gramophone Store), and ASL (Associated Sounds Limited).
However, it was in 1963 when Charles Worrod, a South African of English descent, bought East African Records and rebranded it Equator Sounds, with the house band rebranding from Jambo Boys to Equator Sounds Band. This was the citadel of the country’s musical evolution. It is his creative mind that saw him experiment with a fusion of South African beats and American music, resulting in an authentic Kenyan beat, "Twist," which had a wild following in the region, earning him the sobriquet "the father of Twist."
"Harambee Harambee," the most successful of his projects, turned out to be the country’s biggest song in the era. Equator was home to the region's finest musical talents, among them Fadhili William, Daudi Kabaka, Gabriel Omollo, Ugandan Charles Ssonko, and Zambians Nashil Pichen and Peter Tsotsi. This is the recording label that recorded "Malaika," yet another hit unofficially declared the East African anthem by music aficionados of the region—a song which has so far traveled far and wide with cover versions recorded by musical big names of the world.
The advent of recording technology, which happened simultaneously with the emergence of urban life—both occurring a few years preceding the country’s independence—acted as catalysts which catapulted Africa’s music to international fame, beyond the countries' frontiers.
The DRC is a country of more than 250 ethnic communities, and the convergence of these cultures in Kinshasa provided a fertile ground for the breeding of Congolese Rumba. Of course, traveling from the villages in the countryside of the vast country to the capital in search of jobs, individuals didn’t leave their traditions at home. That is how the native culture found its way into the town, eventually spilling into the music, then in its nascent stages.
The very first record label to set foot in Kinshasa (then known as Leopoldville) was known as Ngoma, and it was owned by a Greek entrepreneur, Nicholas Jeronimidis. It was established in 1948, and the very first musicians to be signed were Wendo Kolosoy, the celebrated father of Congolese music, and Henri Bowane. The former, who had previously worked as a boat mechanic and coxswain in the waters of the Congo River (locally known as Ebale Ya Zaire), made his debut recording with the company in the same year. The song titled "Marie Louise," which is the oldest known locally recorded Congolese song, also happened to be the country’s first song to go international, putting the country on the musical map globally and, of course, internationally much later.
A second record company set up base in Kinshasa in 1950. It went by the name Opika. It was owned by Greek siblings known as Gabriel and Joseph Benatar. It was these studios that housed the evolution of African Jazz, which featured superstars Grand Kalle, Dr. Nico Kasanda, Tino Baroza, and others.
In 1952, Loningisa arrived. It was owned by another Greek, Athanase Papadimitriou. This company housed the evolution of OK Jazz. It is here that Watam, headed by Dewayon—a band that Franco featured for—signed in. This is the record label that recorded Franco's very first songs, "Kombo Ya Loningisa" and "Lilima Dis Cheri Wa Ngai," songs that were recorded in 1953 when Franco was 15 years old. OK Jazz evolved from studio musicians signed to this label.
Esengo was yet another company. It came in the mid-1950s and packed Henri Bowane, the biggest musical name in the era. Esengo had a nose for talent. They poached musicians from other companies, and it is at this studio that the phenomenal Rock-A-Mambo emerged.
The other important record label of the era was CEFA. This was founded by Bill Alexander. Bill was Belgian and not Greek like the others. Bill is the person who is credited with introducing the solo guitar in Congolese Rumba. This guitar wasn't just an improved instrument but acted like a whole new concept for the evolving genre. It became the engine that runs the genre, with other instruments acting as mere spices.
The other important record company was Veve, established in 1972 by Verckys. It housed the evolution of Cavacha, a sub-genre of Rumba that defined and dominated that third generation. This is the production house that recorded and distributed most of Congo's big bands in the 1970s. Verckys also funded bands and equipped them. These record labels played a very critical role in the development of Congolese Rumba.
By Jerome Ogola
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