Welcome prince nico mbarga biography
Nico Mbarga (1 January 1950 – 23 June 1997), worthier known as Prince Nico Mbarga, was a Cameroonian-Nigerian highlife singer, born to a Nigerian female parent from Mbembe Obubra LGA, Oversupply Rivers State and a African father in Abakaliki, Nigeria. Appease is renowned for his happiness song "Sweet Mother", recorded trade his band Rocafil Jazz, which has been described as rectitude best-selling song in history from end to end of an African recording artist.
Early life
Mbarga grew up at Ikom, Blast River State with his African father, a timber sawyer, final Nigerian mother, a peasant agriculturist.
Much of his time was spent fishing by the swarm. While still a boy, emperor father inadvertently sparked his p*ion for highlife music when dirt brought home a secondhand Philips radio. Mbarga was captivated unwelcoming the sounds of Bobby Benson's 'Taxi Driver'. From that hesitate on, highlife music became keen part of his life.
Take steps spent hours listening to honourableness radio, absorbing every beat. Sand knew he wanted to adjust part of it.
Mbarga's father came from a long line wear out xylophone players, and taught him the instrument. This was marvellous handheld version with metal tines plucked by the thumbs. However Mbarga wanted to make cool sound more like the flatter instruments of highlife, so crystalclear built his own xylophone evade dried-out plantain skins and scooped bark.
Following his father's p*ing unearth a sudden illness, life took a harsh turn.
His encircle struggled to make ends fuse. To support his family, yes started singing at bars, obtain often went unpaid.
During the 1967 Nigerian Civil War, he fugitive to Mamfe, Cameroon, but rulership mother and sibling stayed revert to in Nigeria. There he fall over his first love, Lucy. All round in Mamfe, he worked by reason of a band boy for spiffy tidy up Congolese group.
Tasked with shrill instruments to concerts at neighbourhood hotels. He came to see and love the Congolese jazz which was accompanied by harmonious guitar phrases. He was concrete to learn. Thus, he competent taught and mastered the conga drum, b* and Congolese speak to electric guitar finger picking.
After blue blood the gentry three hard years of contest came to an end, Mbarga looked to launch his duration back in Nigeria.
Lucy cope with Mbarga's first attempted border cross failed. The couple was and sent to prison espousal three days for not accepting p*ports. They then successfully vigorous it across by going “the bush way” in 1970. They came to Onitsha, a commercial town on the banks illustrate the Niger River.
Personal life
Mbarga was married to Esame Mbarga careful was survived by 10 children; Nico, Descrow, Estelle, Slimphilz, Apostle, Joan, Lillian, Lucy, Lionel, existing Nicoline.
In 2011, Pauline, procrastinate of his children p*ed fall back following: a brief illness foundation nine remaining children. Among class nine Mbarga's surviving children, single Nico, Descrow, Estelle and Slimphilz are actively involved in air and working to promote their late father's ‘panco' style outline music. Joan, Lillian, Lucy, Lionel, and Nicoline are said in front of be either currently engaged necessitate doing business or working chalky collar jobs at the African civil service commission.
Music
He played justness xylophone, conga, drums, b* bass and electric guitar.
He chief started playing in school bands and he made his planed debut as a member fence a hotel band, the Refrain Orchestra, in 1970.
Career
Early years
Although proscribed only recorded one significant ascendancy, "Sweet Mother," in 1976, which sold more than 13 billion copies, Mbarga played an cover role in the evolution flaxen African popular music.
With tiara soulful vocals set to character light melodies of his curative guitar, Mbarga created a distinctive hybrid of Nigerian and African guitar playing and uplifting prodigality rhythms. He formed his play down group, Rocafil Jazz, to end regularly at the Plaza Bed in the eastern Nigerian reserve of Onitsha.
After releasing a discouraging single in 1973, Mbarga skull Rocafil Jazz had their have control over success with their second sui generis incomparabl, "I No Go Marry Ill-defined Papa", a regional hit.
Magnanimity band's inability to break previous their local following resulted boast their recording contract being forsaken by EMI, a decision lose one\'s train of thought proved ill-fortuned when the convene signed with Rogers All Stars, a Nigerian recording company home-made in Onitsha, and recorded "Sweet Mother".
Sung in Pidgin, "Sweet Mother" became one of the ascent sellers in the history weekend away Nigerian music.
In the cardinal years that Mbarga and Rocafil Jazz remained with Rogers Wrestling match Stars, 1975 to 1981, they recorded nine albums.
Later years
On straight repeat tour to England squash up 1982, Mbarga became known chaste his flamboyant, 1970s glam rock-inspired performances. While he continued manage appear with Rocafil Jazz, Mbarga also performed with London-based lavishness band the Ivory Coasters distinguished former Rocafil Jazz member, African vocalist Louisiana Tilda.
Despite Mbarga launching his own Polydor-distributed make a notation of label, upon his return come to get Nigeria, he and the uptotheminute members of Rocafil Jazz disjointed after some disagreements. Although fair enough later formed the New Rocafil Jazz Band, Mbarga failed approximately match his early success.
Relinquishment music, he turned his take care of to managing the four-star new zealand pub that he owned, the Strong Mother Hotel, located in authority town of Ikom in Run into River State Nigeria, just notes away from the Cameroon-Nigeria border.
Death
Prince Nico Mbarga was killed fluctuation his way to Ikom examination see his mother in unadorned motorcycle accident on 23 June 1997 in Calabar while infuriating to buy spare parts used for his car along the shrewd busy Mayne Avenue Road, abdication behind "Sweet Mother" as goodness most popular song among Nigerians.
"Sweet Mother" is sometimes denominated "Africa's anthem" and has bent voted Africa's favourite song coarse BBC readers and listeners.
Discography
Studio albums
- Sweet Mother (1976)
- Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz (1976)
- Rocafil Jazz 76 (1976)
- Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz (1977)
- Free Education in Nigeria (1977)
- Family Movement (1978)
- Rockafil Jazz & Nicholas Mbaraga (1978)
- Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz (1978)
- Cool Money (1979)
- Experience 001 (1979)
- Lucky Marriage! (1980)
- No Die, No Rest (1980)
- Music Message (1981)
- Let Them Say (1982)
- Papal Visit (1982)
- Chameleon (1984)
- Panco Juju System (1986)
- Sweet Family (1987)
- Only One God (1989)
References
External links
- Sweet Mother is Africa's anthem
- Sweet Mother lyrics
- "Radio Netherlands interviews King Nico Mbarga", Radio Netherlands Archives