Balla Sidibé (1942 – July 29, 2020) was a Senegalese singer,
bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...
, percussionist, vocalist and composer. A founding member of the popular vocal group
Orchestra Baobab
Orchestra Baobab is a Senegalese band established in 1970 as the house band of the Baobab Club in Dakar. Many of the band's original members had previously played with Star Band de Dakar in the 1960s. Directed by ''timbalero'' and vocalist Balla S ...
, Sidibé was responsible for composing many of the band's best known standards and is regarded by many, as the giant of African music.
Biography
Sidibé was born in the
Casamance
, settlement_type = Geographical region
, image_skyline = Senegal Casamance.png
, image_caption = Casamance in Senegal
, image_flag = Flag of Casamance.svg
, image_shield =
, motto ...
,
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤠ðž ...
in 1942. He abandoned an earlier career with the
police force
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
to become a musician and started performing around Dakar, the capital of Senegal in the mid-60s where he started his career. In 1970, Sidibé met with the other front men of
The Orchestra Baobab at the Baobab Club in
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
where they started as a house band.
During his long career as a musician, he collaborated with
Balla et ses Balladins
Balla et ses Balladins (also known as Orchestre du Jardin de Guinée) was a dance-music orchestra formed in Conakry, Guinea in 1962 following the break-up of the Syli Orchestre National, Guinea's first state-sponsored group. Also called the Or ...
,
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...
,
Bembeya Jazz National
Bembeya Jazz National (originally known as Orchestre de Beyla) is a Guinean jazz group that gained fame in the 1960s for their Afropop rhythms. They are considered one of the most significant bands in Guinean music. Many of their recordings are ...
,
Keletigui et ses Tambourinis, and
Aurelio MartÃnez
Aurelio MartÃnez, professionally known as Aurelio, is a Honduran musician and politician. He is a singer, percussionist, and guitarist known for his Garifuna music and is considered a Cultural Ambassador of the Garifuna people. According to the ...
. Sidibé has been credited for composing and arranging many of the Orchestra Baobab studio albums like ''Pirate's Choice'', ''
Specialist in All Styles, Authenticité/The Syliphone Years, Vol. 1, A Night at Club Baobab, La Belle Epoque, Vol. 2, La Belle Epoque, Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng, and La Belle Epoque, Vol. 3: 1973-1976.'' He was signed to
World Circuit Records before his death in 2020.
Death
On July 29, 2020,
World Circiut Records and
Orchestra Baoba announced the death of Sidibé on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. According to the band, he was rehearsing new material with the group a day before his death. He died in Dakar, Senegal.
References
External links
Balla Sidibéat
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidibé, Balla
1942 births
2020 deaths
Senegalese musicians
People from Casamance