Frank Bessem's Musiques d'Afrique: Lama Sidibé

Frank Bessem's
Musiques d'Afrique:

Lama Sidibé
(Guinée)

Musiques d'Afrique
Musiques de Guinée

Lama Sidibé is the most prominent Guinean singer of the Peul (Fula) population. He grew up in the popular neighbourhood Horé Fello of the town of Mamou, in the heart of the Fouta Djalon, a mountaineous region strongly populated by sedentary peul. Already at school, he participated in music and theatre activities and he continued to perform at weddings, and other social ceremonies. Around 1990, he went to the town of N'zérékoré and he joined the Nimba Jazz de N'zérékoré. Parallel to the activities with that band, he found his own group called Mouydhe. With his group, he performed at various occasions organised by the UNHCR and WFP in the forest region of Guinea. Lama Sidibé was active as a helper of the UNHCR.

In 1995, Lama went to Abidjan, where he recorded a first solo album with the help of his arranger Sidi Mady Diabaté, before returning to Conakry in 1996. Due to the fact that he learned the music business outside his native Fouta Djalon region, his first cassette « Awelilan » was not purely Fula-inspired music. On his second album « Falaama », however, he returned to his Fula roots and became thus one of the main exponents of a new style Fula-pop, along with Petit Yero, Sekouba Fatako and Binta Laly Sow. His third album, « Séguéléré », provided his biggest hit thusfar, « Mari Faala ».

Sources: Interview with RadioGuinee.com [link...].

Musicians on « Falaama »:
Lama Sidibé lead vocals & compositions
Sidy Mady Diabaté "Gilbert" bass
Youssouf Diabaté solo guitar, guitar
Djessou Mory Kanté solo guitar, guitar
Cheikna Diabaté n'goni
Aboubacar Diabaté djembé
Mamadou Bobo Bah calabash and lala
Ley Mbaye percussion, sabar
Baba Gallé Kanté flute
Zakaria Mamboué keyboards
Michel Pinehiro, André, Edouard brass section
Maïmouna Barry, Oumé Barry & Mimi Barry backing vocals

Born: as Mamadou Lamarana Sidibé
Style: "electric" peul music / modern Guinean Fula pop.

Discography:

Title	Year	Label	Remarks
Séguéléré	2003	Gris Gris K7 Productions
Falaama	1999	Gris Gris K7 Productions RB 00199
Awelilan	1996	DD United	First cassette