The Motherland Influence presents:
We live in age of digitized African music streamed impersonally and with little profit for the artists.
This is not always the case, though. Stores like Plan 9 and others here in Richmond still stock African records and CDs where the browsing and listening and purchasing experience is still available.
Back in the day, this was the rule rather than the exception. From African record boutiques in USA lIke the African Music Gallery and the African Record Center that specialized in all genres or specific genres of music to mega stores like Tower Records and independent music stores like Sterns, African LPs were readily available for browsing and making choice purchases. The choices in cities like Paris were far greater.
The variety of great music was astounding -with the vast majority of LPs in most stores being Congolese recordingsĀ -and choices for purchase were often difficult.
Today I’m starting a two part series, to be continued in two weeks, of LPs selected and purchased in stores in DC, Richmond, Paris, San Francisco and New York, mostly during the 1980s, the heyday of great pan-African music.
This episode, I’ll play songs from Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, Ghana, the Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Benin. You’ll hear some songs you may know and many that you may hear only on WRIR, including from rare LP by well known artists.
Next time we’ll sample records from Mali, Guinea, Congo, Senegal, South Africa and more.
Enjoy!
What are your favorites?
Mose Fan Fan & Orchestre Somo Somo, “Hello Hello (program theme song)”
from Hello Hello
Sterns - 1995
RDCongo
Prince Nico Mbarga, “Welenga”
from Prince Nico Mbarga and Rocafil Jazz
Rogers All Stars - 1981
Nigeria
D.O. Misiani And Shirati Jazz, “J. Rabour Bade Dongo Pt.1 & 2”
from My Life And Loves
Discafrique - 1988
Kenya
H.O. Kabaselleh Kidi and his Lunna Kidi Band, “Princess Lako”
Jumbo Jet - 1985
Kenya
David Noyes The Motherland Influence December 8th, 2024
Posted In: Music Shows
Tags: African music