Frank Bessem's Musiques d'Afrique: Secka & Royal Band de Thiès

Frank Bessem's
Musiques d'Afrique:

Secka & Royal Band de Thiès
(Senegal)

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The Royal Band de Thiès, led by Adama Seck alias Secka, are quite well known in Senegal but never made it to international fame nor to an international release. Little information is available on them. They are around since the 1980s at least, and singer Adama Seck with his expressive soulful voice has been leading the band since that time.
Hailing from Thiès, the second city of the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants, located around 70 kms East of Dakar, the Royal Band frequently performed and recorded in Club Sangomar in Thiès. Several cassettes have been released, and a couple of older songs can be heard on CD on the Dakar Sound label.
Older songs are examples of mbalax in its orginal raw form.

Musicians on "Jomba Gnaw":
Lead vocal: Adama Seck
Vocal: Ass M'Baye
Lead guitar: Pape Seck, Souleymane N'Diaye
Bass: Bachir N'Doye
Keyboard: Oumar Sèye
Percussion: M'Baye Gueye Niang, Modou Sene
Sax: Jacky Seck
Backing vocals: Soda (=Soda Mama Fall?)
Guest: Jimmy M'Baye

Style: mbalax

Discography (probably far from complete):

Title	Year	Label	Remarks
Albums by Secka:
Kaye wone mako/Dinama Yeungueul	2006	Maestro Music Sega production	CD
Jomba Gnaw	2000	Local cassette (Talla Diagne)
Albums by Royal Band de Thiès:
Dévaluation	199?	Local cassette
Vol. III: Ann-Ann	198?	Cassette GR 003
Vol. I: Dioubou	1980	Cassette
The few older songs (raw but recommended!) available on CD:
Meanwhile in Thiès...	2002	Dakar Sound DKS 020 (CD 2990414)	Tracks 3 and 6 are by Dieuf Dieul
Their Thing	1994	Dakar Sound DKS 004	"Guene-Gui Dek" and "N'Dongo Dara"
Latin Thing	1994	Dakar Sound DKS 003