An early pioneer of rumba, he was born in Congo in 1926 (d.1992). He rose to fame in the fresh and vibrant new music scene of 1940's Leopoldville. Here Cuban rhythms came back to their roots the other side of the Atlantic, bringing with them some of the Spanish and other new world influences. The Diaspora influence created various new scenes on the West coast of Africa including Highlife in Ghana and most importantly here, Rumba in Congo. Henri
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An early pioneer of rumba, he was born in Congo in 1926 (d.1992). He rose to fame in the fresh and vibrant new music scene of 1940's Leopoldville. Here Cuban rhythms came back to their roots the other side of the Atlantic, bringing with them some of the Spanish and other new world influences. The Diaspora influence created various new scenes on the West coast of Africa including Highlife in Ghana and most importantly here, Rumba in Congo. Henri Bowane's early career saw him link up with Wendo where he was given free reign over long and cascading guitar lines. His one solo album was released in 1976 'Double Take - Tala Kaka'. Before this however he was said to have been the first black man in Congo to own a cadillac as he moved away from the performance side and into the producing and writing avenues. He also became the owner of Leopoldville's classiest night club quint. Thus we see an image of a man who remained at the epicentre of the Congo music scene, and at times, the epicentre of all Africa's musical prowess.
