Tabu Ley Rochereau is indeed one of Africa's most accomplished Singer/songwriter. It is fair to say that aside from the legendary Franco Luambo Makiadi, Tabu Ley was the most accomplished African musician of the 20th century.
But He will be remembered
most for his creative drive and for his innovations which had a huge impact
on Congolese as well as African music. He along with Dr Nico Kasanda is the
inventor of Soukous , the dance mania that has swept the continent over the
past two decades. He brought spectacle to the stage by introducing dancers
clad in brilliant costumes to spice up his stages performances. This were
later to be referred to as the Rochereaurettes. The Rochereaurettes wowed
audiences across the globe during his concerts as the gyrated their bodies
vigorously to Tabu Ley's vibe. He internationalized his music by fusing elements of Zairean(Congolese
) folk music with American soul , as well as Carribbean and Latin beats
and instrumentation. Today after producing more than 200 albums as well as composing over
1000 songs , Tabu Ley who has been dubbed the Sinatra of African music
continues to wow audiences across the globe while continuing to sell
thousands of CDs. He was born in Bandundu, Zaire in 1940. He was educated up to secondary
school level which was quiet an achievement in an era where most Zairean
adults were illiterate. He earned his nickname Rochereau from schoolmates
and later adopted it as his artistic name. At age 14 He wrote his first
song Bessama Muchacha which he recorded with Joseph Kabasselleh's L'Africa
Jazz. Upon finishing high school he joined Africa Jazz as a full time
musician. He sang the song Independence cha cha which was composed by
Kabaselleh when Congo was declared an Independent nation. The song was
adopted by several countries as the national anthem thus propelling Tabu
Ley to instant fame. His first song with Africa Jazz , Kelia was a huge
success.