JOHNNY BOKELO

Jean "Johnny" Bokelo Isenge (1938–1995) was a massive star in Congolese guitar music. He grew up in a famous musical family, his older brother, Dewayon, actually helped teach a young Franco Luambo how to play. Bokelo started playing guitar when he was only 12 years old, and he eventually started his own popular band, Orchestre Conga Succès. He was known for a fast, exciting style of rumba with sharp guitar playing and deep singing. In the 1970s, when it became too difficult and expensive to make records in his hometown of Kinshasa, Bokelo took his music to Nairobi, Kenya. There, he started his own record label, Editions Mbonda, so he could release his music his own way across East Africa. He is best remembered for his famous song series "Mwambe" and the classic hit "Tambola na mokili," leaving behind a legacy as a brilliant musician who fought hard for artists to own their own work.

Top Tracks

1

Sandoka

2

A.S. Biliman

3

Sakina

4

M'bongo = l'argent

5

NGALULAWA WA MAMA

6

Ngai nakoku fa

7

Okomisi mimi

8

Yeba mabe nayo

9

Sangolo zakué

10

Tambola na mokili

Top Albums

Sandoka

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Sakina

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Ndeko na ngai okeba - Tambola na mokili

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