Franck Chaleur

Longo Francois, also known as Franck Chaleur, became known as the lead singer of 'Le Testament du Makossa', the musical project with Makossa medleys started by Aladji Toure in the late 1990s. Before that, in 1996, he had already contributed to another album released by Toure under the name 'Cameroon Stars 2000'. 

With the release of his first solo album 'Les on dit' in 1998, Franck Chaleur cashed in on this earlier success. This debut album was followed in 2002 by a second album entitled 'Sans Frontières'.

♫ Video Clip: 1998 – Franck Chaleur – Money

♫ Audio: 2002 – Franck Chaleur – Mulondodi

In 2016, Franck Chaleur was diagnosed with leukaemia, from which he unfortunately passed away over 2 years later in January 2019.

DISCOGRAPHY:

Belmond de Boville

Belmond de Boville is a bassist who released in 2007 a solo album entitled 'New Vision'. 

♫ Video Clip: 2007 – Belmond de Boville – Délinquance Juvénile 5’49

DISCOGRAPHY

Bebe Manga

Early life

Bebe Manga was born on November 27, 1948 and hails from Tinto, Upper Bayang Sub-Division in Manyu Division, South West region. She told in a 1999 interview that her musical career which dates back to 1979 at the then Bar Americain cabaret in Douala was the by-product of an “accident” She had gone on a routine relaxation outing with friends, when one of the bar performers staged a belated rendition of the song “kissa kissa” which happened to be one of her favorite songs. Her entourage exhorted the Bar owner that Bebe Manga could sing better, and the manager took the challenge and gave her the chance. She produced a rhapsodic and scintillating performance that captivated and held the audience spellbound. The Bar manager could not help, but hire her instantly! And so began her roller-coaster career which took her to several African countries – Zaire, Togo, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.

Rise to fame

Bebe Manga rose to international fame in 1980 when she replayed Ebanda Manfred’s 1962 radio hit, “Amie” (meaning “friend” in French). 

♫ Audio: 1980 – Bebe Manga – Amio

Bebe Manga’s version known as “Amio” earned her the prestigious “Maracas D’or” award from SACEM, and a firm place in history as one of Cameroon’s greatest voices.  Most notably, Bebe Manga transformed Ebanda Manfred’s little-known Radio Douala recording into a worldwide hit, and made it an iconic song replayed by artists all over the world..

Later, at the end of the 1990s, she covered another classic song, Charles Lembes "Mota Benamaa", deploring the situation of children suffering around the world. Her talents were celebrated at the Top D'Or 2005 in Abidjan, as she was voted one of the best African artists of all time.

♫ Audio: 2000 – Bebe Manga – Mota Benamaa

She is featured on Manu Dibango's "Manu Safari" album, and partnered with other talented artists like Tom Yoms on several hits. Some of her other songs, (some of which) now feature in an online "BEST OF BEBE MANGA" COMPILATION, are: Aloba, Bele Sombo, Djiya kamba, Alice Agbor, Esele mba, Jemea longo, Muna Muto, Eyiegele Ding and Zipte Men. 

Death

On 1 July 2011 Bébé Manga died on the way to hospital after suffering a heart attack at her home in Douala. She was 62. She was buried on 30 July 2011 in her family compound in Tinto, Upper Bayang sub-division of Manyu Division, Cameroon. Early 2012 the young talented singer composer Martino Ngalle recorded a beautiful tribute to this diva of Cameroon music. 

♫ Video Clip: 2012 – Martino Ngalle ft. Bebe Manga – Dikom

Legacy

In the past decades, Amio has been replayed dozens of times and in different languages by musicians in Europe, The Caribbean, Latin and North America, and Africa, among them André Astasié, Henri Salvador, star of the French song in 1982, Manu Dibango in 1993, Monique Seka, Nayanka Bell, Fred Paul, Passi and Bisso na Biso in 2000, Papa Wemba and Angelique Kidjo, Jacky Biho, Naima, along with African Connection with Denise and Bloco in 2004 (Summer Hit in France and Gold Plate Record) are among those prestigious artist who played, adapted and interpreted this Hit single and Bébé Manga again (in English).

♫ Audio: 1999 – Bisso Na Bisso – Amiyo

DISCOGRAPHY:

Tonye Jackson

Tonye Jackson, a Bassa man, released three albums in the early 1980s with Makossa, mixed with Congolese influences and Bassa rhythms such as Assiko.

♫ Audio: 1981 – Tonye Jackson – Ngola Libii Exhibition

DISCOGRAPHY

Georges Dickson

Georges Dickson was popular in the second half of the 80s and the first half of the 90s with his "Makozouk" style, a mix of Makossa and Zouk. He scored several hits during those years, including "Kiss Me Doudou", "Crise Economique" and "Ville Morte". In the last two songs, he comments on the economic crisis and the resistance against it, which prevailed in Cameroon around 1990. 

♫ Video Clip: 1990 – Crise economique - Georges Dickson

♫ Video Clip: 1992 – Villes mortes - Georges Dickson

After his 1995 album, Georges Dickson remained silent for several years. At the beginning of the new millennium, he released a few more albums that did not become very well known because of poor distribution. In recent years, with the exception of an occasional video clip, little has been heard from him.

♫ Video Clip: 2012 – Georges Dickson – Ne tirez pas sur l’artiste

♫ Video Clip: 2017 – 3ème Pied - Georges Dickson

DISCOGRAPHY

Maréchal Papillon

Din Din Ferdinand, aka "Maréchal" Papillon, is the promoter of Sakissa, his own form of Makossa, which is characterised by a danceable up-tempo rhythm and Congolese guitar lines. 

In the mid-80s, Papillon took its first steps on the musical path. A few years later he was discovered by Guy Lobe, whose career reached its peak around that time. Lobe arranged Papillon's first LP "Femme sans ambition", which immediately became a hit in Cameroon. 

♫ Video Clip: 1990 - Papillon – Femme sans Ambition 5:36

This success did not go unnoticed in Paris, the epic centre of African music in those years. Papillon attracted the attention of the Paris-based label Air B. Mas Production, which mainly focused on Congolese music, but also recognised the hit potential of the young Papillon.

His next album "L'amour et la misere" was released by Air B. Mas in 1993 with the subtitle Soukous Makossa Love. With this album, Papillon also broke through in Paris and from then on his career took off.

♫ Video Clip: 1993 – l’Amour et la misère 6:07

From then on, Papillon released a constant series of albums - one every eighteen months on average - and scored hits with clock-like regularity. Often these were albums under his own name, but Papillon proved to have an eye for young talent with whom he regularly released albums under the banner of his band "Orchestre Pizza Dance".

In 1996, the USA-based Tinder label released "Femme sans Ambition" as a CD in cooperation with Aladji Toure's TJR label. It was a compilation that also contained 4 tracks from the successful 1990 album "Trouver la Vie" by Petit Pays.

In 2005, his career was at its peak. To celebrate his fifteenth anniversary as an artist, he released a double album "Porc-epic", featuring Jacky Kingue and the Ivorian star Meiway, among others. For his 2009 album "Kamerun", Papillon once again managed to get hold of a big name, no one less than Manu Dibango. 

♫ Video Clip: 2005 – Porc-èpic 8:01 (ft.Jacky Kingue)

♫ Video Clip: 2013 – A Môto 6:48

Unfortunately, Papillon's collaboration with fellow artists also has a dark side. From the start of his career, Papillon has been pursued by accusations of plagiarism, breach of contract and misusing the good names of fellow artists for his own gain.

In the early 1990s, for example, he sold the song "Homme demesure" to the then newly broken Epee & Koum. But before Epee & Koum's album is released in 1993, Papillon releases it himself as 'l'Amour et la misere. In 2006, he got into a conflict with Meiway who accused him of abusing his name. In 2008, Senegalese singer Coumba Gawlo made the same accusation against Papillon. In 2013, the young artist Longue Bille, the little brother of the singer Longue Longue, accused Papillon of stealing the song "A Moto" from him, after letting him know about the song and asking for advice. Finally, Papillon got into conflict with the Dibango heirs last year because he wanted to organise a memorial concert for the late Manu Dibango without the family's consent.

News item: Issue with Epee & Koum

News item: Issue with Meiway

News item: Issue with Coumba Gawlo

News item: Issue with Longue Billè

News item: Issue with family Dibango 

I cannot pass judgment on all these issues, but it is remarkable that Papillon so often gets into such disputes with fellow artists. There is a saying in Dutch: “Where there is smoke, there is fire”. And no matter how you look at it, this kind of publicity does not do his image as an artist any good. And that's a pity, because Papillon, with all his talents, doesn't need this type of publicity.

Unfortunately, I have to end this post with more bad news about Papillon. The singer suffered a stroke early October 2020 from which he is now recovering. Hopefully his recovery will be successful and he will be back on his feet soon!

♫ Video Clip: 2016 – A Môto sur le Cargo 5:53

DISCOGRAPHY

Martino Ngalle

Ngalle Miyenga Martin a.k.a. Martino Ngalle is one of todays most talented young Makossa crooners. Born June 29, 1982 in Mbanga in a musical family, embraced the world of music in 2000 when he returned to continue his studies in Mbanga in the third grade. He joined one of the best orchestras in Moungo called BNG (the New Generation Bao) and created a music club at Mbanga high school. Subsequently he joined the cabarets in Douala, the music school, with several participations in various competitions for “best singer”.

In 2005 he was the winner of “The Class” a competition for the best singer which was organized by Dora Decca. The competition was broadcasted in the local media and the gain that he won was the production of his first album.

Martino has since developed into an artist who can make a living from his work. He has released several albums and is not only distinguished by his vocal qualities but is also gaining more and more praise as a composer and arranger.

♫ Video Clip: 2020 – Martino Ngalle – Vero

♫ Video Clip: 2020 – Martino Ngalle – Tondo Mba

♫ Video Clip: 2014 – Martino Ngalle ft. Tony Nobody – Je sais aimer (remix)

DISCOGRAPHY