Johnny Tezano

Allthough the emphasis on this blog  remains Makossa, I will occasionally pay some attention to other popular Cameroon music styles such as Bikutsi, Ashiko and Mangabeu.

Johnny Tezano is a singer/guitarist from the Cameroons capital Yaoundé where the Beti / Ewondo people live. Most popular music among the Beti is Bikutsi, a modernised traditional music style. As in the rest of Cameroon, Congolese music is also popular in and around Yaoundé and in the 80’s most of the Bikutsi records contained at least one Congolese inspired song.

Johnny Tezano made a different choise, before Kotto Bass he is one of the few artists in Cameroon who seduced his audience with Congolese inspired music. More than 30 years he was quite successfull  in Cameroon with his own brand of "Soukous".  Meanwhile the man retired, but for many years he combined his life as a musician with a job as a police-officer. To me this looks a quite unusual combination.

♫ 1980 Competition for Kumba

♫ 1988 Kwassa system

♫ 1989 Tout terrain

DISCOGRAPHY

Ben Decca

With a career spanning more than 30 years and nearly 150 songs to his credit, Ben Decca is one of the most successful Makossa singers of his generation. Initially, nothing indicated that the young Ben would be such a successful singer. Raised in a family of car technicians his father had a career as a technician in mind for his son. It was more or less by accident that he became involved in music. In 2006 Ben Decca told the following story about the release of this first single in an interview with RFI:

"I arrived in the music world like a hair in a bowl of soup," Decca claims, flashing a broad grin. The budding young musician was a student at the time, completing a college course in France. One night a friend happened to hear him sing and his fortunes changed from one day to the next. "My friend thought it was a pretty good song," recounts Decca, "and he offered to record it." But Decca turned down the offer, knowing his father would be furious if he found out his son was neglecting his studies to make music. The friend insisted they could find a solution and persuaded Decca to record an album, promising it would be released without his face on the cover. The single entitled Nyong’a mulema came out at the end of 1981 – featuring a close-up photo of the singer. "And all hell broke out," recalls Decca, "My father took it all very badly, of course. But with time he finally came to accept my career".

From that moment Ben Decca has been continuously at the top of the Makossa scene. With love, his homeland and morality as recurring themes in his songs, he reached an unprecedented popularity as crooner, especially among women. In 1987 he was elected as Artist of the Year for the first time in his career and also received his first Gold Record for the album L’amour a sens unique’. Ben Decca has always remained faithful to the pure makossa. With the album Makossa Phoenix he showed in 2006 his devotion to the authentic Makossa that has been so lacking in recent years on the Cameroon music scene.

♫  2010 Makossa Phoenix 

In 2010 Ben Decca celebratred his 30th anniversary as a singer. Shortly after he was elevated to the rank of knight in the national order and exceptional value. He received this award by the Minister of Arts and Culture in recognition for his entire musical work.

♫  2013 Tolambo o titi
♫  2013 Tu voulais 
♫  2013 Na boa ndolo 
♫  2012 Nanterre: Live with Charlotte Dipanda  

  
Discography

Sergeo Polo

Update 30/09/2017

Last Tuesday 27 September 2017 Sergeo Polo presented his new album entitled "Fleur et Venus". With this album Sergeo Polo celebrates women in all their splendor.

♫ New videoclip:   Sergeo Polo feat. Locko - Fleur et Venus 

Sergeo Mpollo a.k.a. Sergeo Polo Le Roi Polo XVIII

was born in Deido (Douala) on November 14 1970.He was raised by his mother and his maternel grandparents. He started singing at school concerts when he was in college. In the twelfth grade he decided to become a fulltime singer and stopped his studies. He performed several years in night clubs where he accompanied some well known big names such as Eboa Lotin, Salle John, Ben Decca and many others.

Then he went to Paris where he married and became father to a daughter, Melissa. In November 1996 he released a duet album with "Njohreur", a former singer of "Les sans visas de Petit Pays". The record "Le mari d'autrui" was well received in Cameroon and in 1998 Sergeo Polo came with his first solo record "Carton rouge".

During the making of a tribute album for Eboa Lotin he met Aladji Toure, which led to the production of the album "Georgie" on Toure's label in November 2000. With three successful albums in less then five years, Sergeo Polo soon became a household name in the Makossa community. It is therefore not surprising that he managed to bring together some of the biggest names in Cameroon music for his next album "La chicotte de papa". With the help of Guy Nsangue, Aladji Toure, Manulo, Congolese guitar wizard Caen Madoka and Jean Philippe Tamba as arranger, Sergeo Polo won a gold disc and the title of 'best artist in 2003'.

The same year he did another duet album with legendary singer Guy Lobe, released as CD and DVD under the name "Cocktail". With "The prisoner" an album released in November 2005, he stayed at the top of the Cameroon music and in March 2006, he was once again honored by the Cameroon public who chose him again as best male artist of 2005.

In 2008 he released a mini album "On est ensemble" at the request of "d'Orange Cameroun", that accompanied all events organised by the mobil operator and the Cameroon national team "les Lions Indomptabel".

♫ 2008 Clip - On est ensemble

Two years later Sergeo Polo is back with the CD "Amour a deux, amour a vie" an album produced by Toto Guillaume. The record is released on Polo's own label SP Association and contains guest appearances by renowned African artists such as Barbara Kanam, Landry Ifauta and Mirage Supersonic. As "Roi Polo XVIII" Sergeo Polo presents himself now as a true SAPEUR, a follower of "La Societé des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes".

♫ 2010 Clip - Sanga loba

♫ 2011 Live: & Barbara Kanam

In December 2013 he released the CD "Carte postale". The album contains 9 tracks and includes collaborations with Kaissa Doumbe and Ivorian Soum Bill. All the songs are written by Sergeo Polo himself except the title "Ali Baba forever".

♫ 2013 Clip - Efforts personels

♫ 2013 Clip - Mon coeur bat pour toi

DISCOGRAPHY

 
 

 



Dina Bell 35 ans de carrière

On May 4, 2012 Dina bell celebrated the 35th anniversary of his artistic career as singer in Sarcelles - Paris.

Clip: Dina Bell 35th anniversary concert

Clip: 2009 Dima Jinda 

$: Dina Bell his music is available on eMusic

 ♫       1999: Mambo ma bato

 ♫       1991: Elissa

A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Dina Bell is Born in Douala on the 28th of may 1953 under the name Dina Ebongue Charles. His father and grandfather were both musicians and so he learned to sing and play the guitar very early in his life. His teachers at the Montequieu Lycee and the minister of his local church were quick to recognize his talent. His friends and the example of Manu Dibango led him to leave aside religious music and to concentrate  on Makossa music. As a teenager he starts to perform on parties and other neighborhood events during school holidays.
 
His first hit 'Yoma, Yoma' a 12 inch 45 rpm single,was recorded in 1978 with the help of Toto Guillaume (guitar) and Aladji Toure (bass) and spread his fame all over Cameroon.  He scored a golden record with 'Yoma yoma', as he also did in 1980 with his first LP, "M'bemba iyo" (When a mother mourns her son).  With the albums "Longe" (1981) and "Etom'am"(1983) he confirmed his immense talent and consolidated his position at the top of the Cameroon hit parade.

In 1982 he participated on the most outstanding compilation of Cameroon music  "Fleurs musicales du Cameroun" with the song "Diana lao". This 3LP-box was produced by the Ministry of Culture of Cameroon, with the participation of several artists including Francis Bebey, Manu Dibango, Anne-Marie Nzié, Marthe Zambo, Ben Decca, Prince Eyango, Dipanda Charlotte, Henry Dikongué Sam Mbende, Jean Bikoko Aladin, Hugo Nyame, Ohandja Mama and many more.

During the following years he made several more hit albums, such as "Mboa"(1984) and "Poko poko"(1986). In 1988 he received another golden record for the album "Melodies roses". At this time in his career Dina Bell has become one of the key figures in the Douala makossa scene. His band "Bazor Systeme", founded in 1984 becomes a training school for young talented singers and musicians such as Ndedi Eyango, Guy Bilong, Jeannot Ebele and the twins Epee & Koum.

 He continues his success during the 90's with albums as "Elissa" (1991), "Nika na nika" (1998) and "Tempete" (1999). The new millennium started also good for Dina Bell with the album "Tobo tobo" (2002), but in 2004 things turned wrong, when he became  the victim of a violent robbery that almost costed him his life.   It took several years before he was fully recovered. Ultimately, it was not until 2009 that he released a new album with the telling title "rebirth". On May 4 2012 Dina Bell celebrated the 35th anniversary of his career as singer in  Sarcelles - Paris.

DISCOGRAPHY