Here is Everything you Need to Know About the Most Remarkable Rhumba Giant of the 20th Century, Tabu Ley - Video Mix Too ft Mbilia Bel

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.

By Kenyapagenet.

Tabu Ley/Photo credit|Africapop.

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.

How Tabu Ley Got Nicknamed Rochereau

Tabu ley was born in the Bagata area of Bandundu Province in the Democratic republic of Congo in 1940. His birth name was Pascal Tabou. 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 Kabassellehs' L'Africa Jazz. 

His first moment of fame came at age 15 when he won a national singing competition. Encouraged by this, he Joseph Kabaseleh, the leader of Africa Jazz of whom Tabou was a big fan. 

Thanks to his persistence, he was soon invited to sit in on Africa Jazz recording sessions. By 1958 he had become a fully fledged member of Africa Jazz. That year, for the first time ever he sung on a song for Africa jazz. 

The name of the song was Micky Me Quiero, a composition of Nino Malapet. 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. At this time he was known simply as Rochereau. 

He explains the origins of the name Rocherau as follows: One day during a history lesson the teacher asked the class a question : Who was the French General who led the resistance of Belfort to a siege during the Franco-Prussian War. There was dead silence in the class. 

The only person who knew the answer was Tabu Ley. He raised his hand and answered "Rochereau". From that point on his classmates nicknamed him "Rochereau".  

Tabu Ley Leaves Africa Jazz

In 1963 he and Docteur Nico Kasanda , left Africa jazz to form their own band which they called Africa Fiesta. Combining Tabu Ley's abilities as a vocalist and as a composer as well as Dr Nico's genius as a guitarist , Africa Fiesta wowed and charmed audiences in the late sixties. 

The two were joined by Nico's brother , Dechaud Mwamba, along with Roger Izeidi, Kwamy Munsi, Mujos (Mulamba Joseph), Depuissant on conga and bassist Joseph Mwena. In 1965 there was a major split in Africa Fiesta. On one side was Docteur Nico, his brother Dechaud Mwamba and Paul Mizele. 

They called themselves Africa Fiesta Sukisa. On the other side was Rochereau and Roger Izeidi. They formed a band called Africa Fiesta Nationale. He would later name the band Afrisa International. 

The band lasts to this day and has propelled him to even grater heights. Docteur Nico and his brother Dechaud formed a band which they named Africa Fiesta Sukisa.    

Africa Fiesta Nationale

Rochereau who has always had a soft spot for female singers, introduced the first of several female singers he would work with throughout his career. Her name was Photas Myosotis. Other Africa Fiesta members were Faugus Izeidi, Willy Kuntima and Jeff Migiedi on trumpet and Paul Mizele on guitar. 

The second female vocalist to work with Rochereau was Henriette Borauzima who started working with him in 1966 and through the late 1960s. She became known as "Miss Bora". 

Other band members of Africa Fiesta Nationale besides Izeidi were vocalist Sam Mangwana, guitarist Johnny Bokasa, bassist Joseph Mwena, drummer Henri Dongala, Trumpeter Willy Kuntima, Kare Kasanda, Faugus and Guvano. 

They were later joined by guitarist Mavatiku Visi "Michelino". Tabu Ley and Izeidi too were to face a mass defection. Following a disatrous performance during a national celebration in which Tabu Ley and his group arrived several hours late, he and Izeidi were suspended from musical activities for 3 months by the governmenets ministry of culture. 

Restless, the rest of the band members struck out on their own. In 1969, Rochereau and Izeidi finally parted ways as the former struck out on his own while the latter quit the music scene. 

In 1971 he became the first African to perform at the famous Olympia in Paris (Europe's equivalent of Carnegie hall). Accompanied by musicians like a young Lokassa Ya Mbongo, Rochereau gave a scintillating performance. 

Tabu Ley Forms Afrisa Internationale

Following his performance, he changed the name of his band to Afrisa which was a fusion of Africa and Isa (the name of his recording label). It was around this period that Tabu Ley introduced another of his innovations, a group of dancing girls known as the Rochereauttes. 

Today virtually all Congolese bands have dancing girls, an idea pioneered by Tabu Ley Rochereau. In 1971, Zairean president issued a decree known as "La Auntheticite" which forbade Zaireans from using western names. It was at that point that he adopted the name Tabu Ley in place of Rochereau. 

It was fusion of his last name (Tabu) and one of his grandfathers names (Ley). Getting fans used to his new name was a tall order. In 1972 he released a hit song called Mongali. He also used the song to introduce his fans to his new name, Tabu Ley. 

The 1970s saw Afrisa International grow from strength to strength as Tabu Ley recruited other talented musicians such as Sam Mangwana , Dino Vangu and Modero Mekanisi. 

He showed his versatility by producing a rendition of the beatles' song "Let it be". He recruited reknown guitarist Mavatiku Visi known to most as Michelino to challenge Fiesta Sukisa's more famous string section. Along with Franco's TPOK Jazz , Afrisa was now Africa's greatest band. 

Hits such as Sorozo , Kaful Mayay , Aon Aon and Mose Konzo which he produced with Sam Mangwana sent fans flocking to music stores to buy his music. By the mid 1970s, Afrisa had an array of talent. 

The string section now also had Lokassa Ya Mbongo, Bopol Mansiamina and bassist Philo in addition to Michelino.This all star string section was without peer. 

The horn section had saxophonists Empopo Loway, Modero Mekanisi, trumpeters Alphonse Biolo and Jean Trompette Nzenze. And with the Rocherauttes in fine form, Afrisa had the best stage show anywhere. 

Kiesse Diambu Joins Afrisa

As the 70s gave way to the 80s Afrisa grew stronger as talented musician Kiesse Diambu Ya Ntesa joined along with honey toned vocalist Pon Pon Kuleta. 

Kiesse Diambu produced several hits such as Lumusu and the award winning Zuwa te. Kuleta displayed his vocal talents in songs such as Kashama and Omona wapi which also featured OK jazz vocalist Josky Kiambukuta and the guitar stringing genius of Michelino. 

The song which is one of Afrisa International's greatest hits was composed by Modero Mekanisi. That album also contained 3 duets featuring Tabu ley and Franco. 

The first one was "Lisanga ya Banganga which means association of sorcerers( sorcerers of music). The second one was a tribute to Le Grande Kalle (Joseph Kabasselleh) who had just died. 

In the song Tabu Ley hailed Kabasselleh as his mentor. All three songs were composed by Tabu Ley. The fact that Tabu Ley and Franco who had been bitter rivals in the late 1970s were copperating was a shock to music fans everywhere. 

The second album on which Franco and Tabu Ley was lettre a monsieur directeur general. It contained four songs written by Franco. 

Michelino who had played with both Franco and Tabu Ley in the 1970s was featured prominently on both albums. His exhilarating mi-solo guitar took the songs up several levels.

Mbilia Bel Joins Tabu Ley

Tabu Ley and his Rochereauttes continued to excite audiences across the globe with their spectacular stage performances culminating in a tour of Kenya in 1980 where he released his new hit "Maze". 

The song was such a hit in Kenya that the word "Maze" was incorporated into the local sheng language ( the slang version of Kiswahili). Come the mid 80s Tabu Ley discovered a young talented singer and dancer. 

Mbilia Mboyo was her given name. Mbilia Bel was her artistic name. She was a backup singer for Abeti Masikini and later Sam Mangwana. It was while performing with Mangwana that Tabu Ley discovered her talents. 

She had the most heavenly soprano voice which left most of those who listened to her slow jams in tears of joy. She was equally adept at singing up tempo songs. 

Besides she was a talented dancer and stage performer and often joined the Rochereauttes in their dance routine thus spicing up Tabu Ley's already famous stage show. 

Mbilia Bel and Tabu Ley were an instant hit. Their first song together was Mpeve Ya Longo which literally means Holy Spirit in Kikongo. The song was about the domestic problems that married women face. 

More hits followed soon like ; kelhia which was an update of Tabu Ley's hit song from the 1970s. Lizanga Bambanda was recorded seperately by Tabu Ley and Mbilia Bel. 

There was Faux pas in which Mbilia warns off her love rival, Eswi yo wapi in which she tells another person essentially to mind their own business, There were other hits like Beyanga, Wendenda and Nadina which had both Lingala and Kiswahili versions. 

The biggest hit of all was probably "Mobali na Ngai wana (which means This husband of mine). In the song she lavished Tabu Ley with praises such as He is rich , handsome , gifted etc. 

Mbilia Bel became the first female singer to gain acclamation throughout Africa. Tabu Ley and Mbilia Bel later got married and had one child together. The child was named Melody.

Baniel Bambo, Faya Tess & Mbilia Bel

In 1986, Tabu Ley added yet another female vocalist to Afrisa. Her name was Itela Boqetsu. Her stage name was Baniel. Her tenure in Afrisa was short and she soon left. Tabu Ley replaced her with another female singer : Kishila Ngoyi known by her stage name Faya Tess.

In 1987 Afrisa embarked on a tour of East Africa in which Mbilia Bel and Faya Tess sung together on stage. The hit song Nadina featured vocals from both. 

Meanwhile, Afrisa had been strengthened by guitarist Huit Kilos from Victoria Eleison who stepped into the breach left the departing Dino Vangu. 

Also joining in 1987 was Ndombe Opetum who had played with Afrisa in the 1970s before joining OK Jazz and before creating his own band Orchestre Afrizam with limited success.

In 1988 Mbilia Bel and Tabu Ley parted ways. Both were cagey about the circumstances that led to their divorce but rumour has it that Mbilia Bel was not amused at Tabu Ley's introduction of another female vocalist known as Faya Tess. 

It was also rumoured that Gabonese producer "Ngoss" Ngossanga who was previously associated with Tabu Ley was the key catalyst in the split between Tabu Ley and Mbilia Bel.

Mbilia Bel having left the band joined Paris based musician Rigo Makengo and produced several albums with mixed success. The rest of the Afrisa band including Kuleta and Modero were equally prolific in their productions such as Amilo and Sanza Misato among others. 

The band received a huge blow in the early 80s when Kiesse Diambu Defected over to TPOK Jazz to Join his brother Ntessa Dalienst.

In 1985 when the Government of Kenya banned all foreign music from the National Radio service, Tabu Ley composed a song in praise of the president and the ban was lifted promptly. 

Yet another stroke of genius from Tabu Ley. After Mbilia Bel's departure however Afrisa's influence along with that of their rivals TPOK Jazz continued to wane as fans gravitated toward the faster more diluted version of Soukous which only features the Sebene section. Tabu Ley continues to perform today.

He has remained faithful to the version of Soukous which he invented. This version features 3 parts. A slower introductory part which builds up to a mid tempo harmony building section and finally to the searing release of the sebene.

Tabu Ley in the 1990s

In the early 1990s, Faya Tess now took center stage following the departure of Mbilia Bel. Also featuring for the band was Faya's sister Efomi Mondjoy, known by her stage name Beyou Ciel. Shaba kahamba was now chef d'orchestre. 

Other band members were vocalists Djeffard Lukombo, Dodo Munoko and Wawali Bonane Bungu. Guitarists Huit Kilos and saxophonist Modero Mekanisi.

In the mid 1990s, Tabu ley briefly left his Paris base and settled in southern California. He signed a deal with Rounder records and & found success with the release of albums such as Muzina, Exil Ley, Africa worldwide and and Babeti soukous. 

Exill Ley was in reference to the fact that he was now an exile from Zaire since he had criticised president Mobutu Sese Seko. The best song on the Exil Ley album was clearly "Le Glas a Sonne". 

In the song Tabu Ley talks about how his country used to be prosperous before it was destroyed by corruption and infighting. 

He sings about the greatest sons of the Congo/Zaire, mentioning Lumumba, Kasavubu, Kimbangu, Tshombe and Franco. Notably he deliberately avoided mentioning Mobutu who was still president at the time.  

Going Gospel, International Tours & Death

Muzina was Tabu Ley and Afrisa's greatest hit of the 1990s. Though it is a popular dancehall and party hit, most people outside the Congo do not realize it is actually a gospel song. 

In Muzina, Tabu talks about his lifelong faith in God which he says has existed since his childhood while also making references to sorcery which reflects the fact that Congolese society is deeply steeped in witchcraft. 

By the late 1990s Afrisa International was still going strong despite the fact that it had lost most of its pre-eminent stalwarts. 

Among the new members of the band included his son Tabu Etire, a new female vocalist Kizita Yal as well as 2 Americans, instrumentalists Aaron Cross and Martin Flores. 

He was now beginning to tailor his music towards an International audience by including more English lyrics and by increasing more international dance styles such as Samba.

His album Africa worlwide features some of his most sensational hits played to new dance styles. When President Mobutu was dethroned in the late 90s, Tabu ley returned to Kinshasa and took up a position as a cabinet minister in the government of new President Laurent Kabila. 

Following Kabila's death, Tabu Ley continued in the same capacity under new President Joseph Kabila. In 2006, Tabu Ley teamed up with long time counterpart, the versatile Maika Munan to release what would appear to be his last album. 

The album called 'Tempelo" has several well arranged songs in his classic soukous. His daughter Melodie performs the R&B-inflected "Move Around," as well as a duet with her father. called 'Bebe'.

In 2008, Tabu Ley suffered a stroke that left him mostly bed-ridden. While receiving treatment for the stroke, he passed away on November 30 2013 at 9:00 am. He had been receiving treatment at St Luc Hospital in Brusells Belgium.