Daniel Owino Misiani (22 February 1940 – 17 May 2006) was a

Tanzanian Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

-born musician based in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, where he led the Shirati Jazz collective. He was known as the "King of History" in Kenya; overseas and in Tanzania, he was known as "the grandfather of

benga Benga may refer to: Ethnonym * Benga people, an indigenous ethnic group of Equatorial Guinea * Benga language, spoke by the Benga people * Benga music, a genre of music originating in Kenya Places Romania * ''Benga'', the old name of Mo ...

", which he pioneered.

Early life and career

Misiani was born in Nyamagongo, a quiet village just north of

Shirati Shirati is a town in Rorya District in North Mara, Tanzania on the shore above Lake Victoria, near the border with Kenya. It has a population of c. 100,000 It is the northernmost town at the border with Kenya at is located in Royra District. ...

Mara Region Mara Region (''Mkoa wa Mara'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of El Salvador. for El Salvador at The neigh ...

, Tanzania, close to the eastern shore of

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...

and the border with

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. His parents were singers, but opposed his choice of a musical career on religious grounds. Nevertheless, he moved to Kenya in the 1960s to be a musician. He first recorded with the Victoria Boys in 1965. The band changed its name many times before becoming popular as Shirati Jazz band. He sang mostly in

Dholuo The Dholuo dialect (pronounced ) or ''Nilotic Kavirondo'', is a dialect of the Luo group of Nilotic languages, spoken by about 4.2 million Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania, who occupy parts of the eastern shore of Lake Victoria and areas to the ...

and Swahili languages. He is known as a pioneering contributor to the

Benga music Benga is a musical genre, genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South A ...

genre. During his long career he released numerous recordings, with some international releases. He was imprisoned on several occasions for lyrics that were perceived as crossing the line into political criticism. One of his sons, Robert Misiani, pursued a career as a hip hop musician under the stage name Gun B. Robert was best known for "Nampenda" hit, a collaboration with

Pilipili Peter Gatonye (born November 1982), known better for his stage name Pilipili is a musician/singer from Kenya. At the beginning of his career, he collaborated with another musician, Gun B. Their best known song was "Nampenda".Daily Nation, October 28 ...

. Robert died on October 20, 2007, due to illness.Daily Nation, October 28, 2007
Buzz Magazine
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Death and legacy

Misiani died on 17 May 2006 in a road traffic accident at an accident hotspot in

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...

, on the highway to

Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of Kakamega County that has a population of 1,867,579 (2019 census). Kakamega is 52 km north of Kisumu, the tenth largest city in Ken ...

, in a crash between a minibus and a public transport van in which many others were injured. At time of his death, aged 66, he was still an active performer. Misiani, who was

polygamous Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...

, had two wives (Felista and Beatrice) with 14 children. After the death of Daniel Owino Misiani, the leadership of his band Shirati Jazz was taken over by his wife and long-time band member Queen Babito (Beatrice Atieno Owino).Worlds of the Indian Ocean connecting the past to the future February 19–23, 2009· Nairobi, Kenya
Film: Retracing the Benga Rhythm & Live Concert: D.K.Mwai and Queen Babito

Discography

As a contributing artist

* ''

The Rough Guide to the Music of Kenya and Tanzania ''The Rough Guide to the Music of Kenya and Tanzania'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 1996. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, it focuses on the music of Kenya and Tanzania, two countries which shar ...

'' (1996,

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" compet ...

)

References

External links

Discography of D.O. MISIANI & SHIRATI JAZZ
*
Misiani was born to sing benga
', ''

Daily Nation The ''Daily Nation'' is the highest circulation Kenyan independent newspaper with 170,000 copies. History The ''Daily Nation'' was started in the year 1958 as a Swahili language, Swahili weekly called ''Taifa'' by the Englishman Charles Hay ...

'', May 19, 2006: * , ''The Standard'', May 18, 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Misiani, Daniel Owino 1940 births 2006 deaths Luo people Road incident deaths in Kenya Tanzanian musicians People from Mara Region Tanzanian emigrants to Kenya