Manuel Guysso

Manuel Guysso, composer, arranger and guitar wizard, started his musical career at the end of the sixties. It was Nelle Eyoum who guided him during the first steps of his career. In 1971 he made his first 45 rpm single Sunga mba. More singles and LP's followed. In 1977 he shows his skills as guitarist with the album Manuel Guysso et le Rayon X. Since the early eighties it has become silent around him.

♫ Audio: 1977 O's'en Te    



Solo Muna

Paul Nsolo a.k.a. Solo Muna, is born on the 21th of April 1969 in Yabassi, the capital of the Nkam department (north east of Douala). As a young, eightteen years old student he came with a very successful debute, followed in 1988 by the also well received LP Confirmation. 

                                 
♫ audio: 1988 Confirmation
♫ video: 1989 Femme fragile

With his third record Femme fragile Solo Muna could not maintain the success of his first two albums. Soon after the release of "Femme fragile", Solo left Cameroon and went to France. Since then he made three more CD's: Monsieur le demarreur in 1995, Makossa soukissa in 2000 and finally the album Paris.

♫ audio: 1995 Monsieur le demarreur

DISCOGRAPHY:

Epee Mbende Richard

Epee Mbende Richard a.k.a. Epee D'Or, was one of the leading pioneers in the development of Makossa music during the 50's and 60's. Founding father of such legendary bands as  l'Orchestre UVOCOT Jazz  (UVOCOT means "The Union of Coastal Voices") and Los Calvinos.

I realise that Epee D'Or deserves a more comprehensive biography, but unfortunately I could not find any other information about him.

♫ Epée Mbende Richard & Orchestre Uvocot Jazz - A Loba Lam Njom  

Charly Nelle

 Charly Nelle began his musical career in the early 80's. He released his first album 'Ndol'am nu' in 1982. Between 1982 and 1996 followed five more records. He scored his biggest hit with the song 'La femme'. A few years ago Charly Nelle made even a new video-clip for 'La femme', in an attempt to revive this classic.

♫ 1983 La femme (New videoclip)  

♫ 1996:  Na si dolone ndolo

After the CD 'Na si dolone ndolo' followed an artistic silence of more then ten years until 2008. In that year he came back with a new album arranged by Conti Bilong, entitled 'Sacramento'. It is a varied album in which Makossa is interspersed with Caribbean Zouk, Salsa and Congolese Rumba inspired tunes. Occasionally even a hint of Jazz can be heard.

2017 Live in Washington

After this album another period of silence followed only interrupted by the CD single 'Ingratitude' in 2012. But in 2017 Charly Nelle celebrates the 35th anniversary of his musical career and is back on stage - including a tour in the US - and fresh new songs like 'La femme d'autrui' , 'Massoma' and 'Equilibre'.

♫ Live in Washington february 2017 

♫ Videoclip: 2017 – La femme d’autrui

♫ Videoclip: 2017 – Massoma

♫ Videoclip: 2017 – Equilibre

DISCOGRAPHY

Ange Ebogo Emerent

Ange Ebogo Emerent is already four decades a big name in the Cameroon music scene. Therefore it's not a surprise that he was one of the most important representives of Ewondo music during the concert to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the independance of Cameroon.

Clip:   Ange Ebogo Emerent Concert fiftieth anniversary of the independence of Cameroon

Ange Ebogo Emerent was born on December 4, 1952 in Mfou, a small town east of the capital Yaounde in the Central Province. His musical career started in the early seventies and in 1976 he released his first record. In 1980 he founded his own band Ozima. With Ozima he recorded the album Ozima man in 1981. Two years later he released the album Sita menque. Of this successful album 12000 copies were sold in Cameroon and France.

In the nineties Ange became also a successful arranger. So was he in 1991 the man behind K-Tino's first hit-album Ascenseur. Meanwhile, he has over 20 albums to his name. His most recent CD Trop c'est trop is from 2009.

 ♫ 1981 Mema Biloa   

♫ Ange Ebogo Emerent – Medley ’12 Secousses’

DISCOGRAPHY (incomplete)

Frank de Blaiso - Travailler sans salaire 1990

1990 FRANK DE BLAISO - NELSON MANDELA   AT 089

Last year rapper Roggy Stentor was quite successful with his personal blend of Hip-Hop and Makossa. In particular the song Ndengue was received very well in Cameroon. For the Makossa part of Ndengue, Stentor called in the help of Frank de Blaiso.

Clip: Roggy Stentor ft. Frank de Blaiso - Ndengue

Frank de Blaiso, a singer with a voice that reminds me of Douleur, has released one album in 1990 on Aladji Toure's label, entitled Nelson Mandela. Since that record nothing is heard of him till this cooperation with Roggy Stentor. I don't know why Frank de Blaiso never made a new record, because the album did well when it came out and I remember that it received a very positive review in the former international reggae magazine The Beat. So I hope that the success of "Ndengue" will bring us a new solo album by Frank de Blaiso.

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Eboa Lottin 1942 - 1997





Emmanuel Eboa Lottin is one of the major artistic figures in the history of Cameroon music. Born August 6, 1942 in Douala, son of the famous Pastor Adolphe Lotin, known as the one who renovated the Baptist Church and composer of more than 400 religious songs. Eboa lotin loses both parents at the age of 3 years and following an injection of quinine he becomes disabled.

He began learning Music at the age of 8. But it is in 1962 at the age of 20 that he will record his first song 'Mulema Mwam'. Later, on the occasion of Radio Cameroon's birthday, he composed Elimb'a Dikalo, to pay tribute to the radio station. It is in 1967 that his international career takes off thanks to the succes of his song "Mbemb'a Mot'a Sawa" that he presented at the Vick's Vedette Competition before a jury composed of Duke Ellington and Myriam Makeba. This performance earned him a recording contract with Philips.

    
♫ 1962 Muléma Mwam  

♫ 1967 Elimb’a Dikalo
  
♫ 1977 Bésombé (Les jeunes)

♫ 1980 Tata Coco (Amours lucifériennes)

 

He visits Paris for new recordings and then goes on tour. In 1970 he made a tour through Central Africa, where he was particularly successful in Gabon and Zaire. In the second half of the 70s he records two LPs for the SATEL record company in Benin. On the first album he is accompanied by the legendary Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou.

Despite his limited formal musical education, his lyrics and compositions have always garnered a great deal of appreciation from fellow artists, Despite his limited formal musical education, his lyrics and compositions have always received much appreciation from fellow artists, and he has been a source of inspiration for later artists such as Henry Njoh, Tom Yoms, Henry Dikongue, X-maleya etc.

 

It is therefore no surprise that a popular former lead singer from the Congolese band Wenge Musica Maison Mere throws a glance with the stage name Eboa Lottin. And it is Koffi Olomide who declared during an interview that the texts of Eboa Lotin are a major inspiration for him.

Unfortunately, the versatile and impressive musical career of Eboa Lotin ends way too early, when he dies in hospital after a sick bed on October 6, 1997.

 

DISCOGRAPHY