Sixteen LPs, ten 45s, five CDs, all titles are as much loved as hummed throughout Africa. The rich musical heritage from Gnonnas Pedro contiues to live 6 years after his disappearance. Hometown Lokossa in the department of Mono, Gnonnas Pedro comes from a musical family with a father responsible for choir and two brothers, one bassist and one saxophonist. This family environment an the training he received from Do Rego Theophilius aka El Rego open him very quickly the way of great musical career.
With a captivating voice, talented guitarist, will lead Gnonnas Pedro's orchestra "Los Panchos", later renamed the "Dadje Band". Found off traditional Agbadja rhythm , he will make his music stand while providing modern touches. Early on, his repertoire is enriched with new sounds, local and Afro Caribbean, quickly adopted by the public.
"Dedje Vignin", "La musique en verité", or "Dagamassi", "Combinacion", have make dance all over Africa. It also retains the title "Von Von O No" which will adopted as theanthem of the national football team of Togo. He began a second career in 1996 when he joined Africando formation. With this band, Gnonnas Pedro will record a total of four albums crowned by a global success.
Always with Africando, Gnonnas reveal the magnitude of his talent in the world that adopts it. Polyglot into his songs, his covers topics are, women, love, slave trade. Most importantly, Gnonnas Pedro is a humble artist with enormous talent. He is an artist who will be performing a few weeks before his death. "Dadji" national, hello! Successes of the past and always!
Arnaud Adikpeto
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Anonymous said...
Nicknamed the "Baobab Beninese music" Gnonnas Pedro started his career by being out in the Night Clubs Cotonou for his dancing skills. Spotted by a pattern of establishment which offers tools to take advantage of his group, he began exploring music with some of his friends deserted permanently to school.
Inspired by El Rego and Ignacio Do Souza , he made his debut in the Los Panchos Cotonou , overlooking his immense talent the scene Afro-Latin Benin until his death in 2004. He was accompanied during the 1970s by the Dadji Band with whom he recorded one of his most famous tracks, " Von O Von Non Dadji "(The first version of the classic music of Benin was published on the label Riviera of Gilles Sala 1965). Gnonnas Perdo Agbadja popularized the style, named after a famous drum he associates with his Afro-Cuban influences, which will become the basic rhythm of his music, called Agbadja beat.
In 1972, the officer Kerekou took power: in 1974 he adopted scientific socialism guided by Marxism-Leninism as the official ideology of Dahomey, and in 1975, renamed the country the People's Republic of Benin. Gnonnas Pedro like other artists Benin must support the movement and began the production of patriotic songs, " Yesterday Dahomey, Benin today, I am proud of you, that's why I stayed ". One of his pieces, Sodabi (meaning alcohol in the Fon language), however, was prohibited by the president as praising the benefits of beer drinking as the best in the country.
The 70s were extremely productive Gnonnas Pedro becomes an accomplished composer and connects a series of hits, some of which are printed on the label Nigerian African Song (known to have released some of the best records of King Sunny Ade). It runs in the entire region and his passion for salsa was rewarded in 1995 when he became one of the singers of Africando , the Afro-Cuban big project of the producer Ibrahim Sylla .
Gnonnas Pedro was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. But because of the high cost of treatment, he decided to ignore the disease and continue to tour with Africando. Her treatment will begin a year later in May 2004. In August Gnonnas asked to return home to end his days. The plane landed at Cotonou on August 11 at 9:30, and Pedro Gnonnas off the next morning at the age of 61.
Tracklist
01. Dadje von von von
02. Ngbahanov O.
03. Ennemi toton
04. Agbadja moderne no.2
05. Hommage aux dovaniers
06. Adigbedoto
07. Fini les pave's
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