George Ramogi (1945–1997) was a Kenyan

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

, who empowered the traditional

luo Luo may refer to: Luo peoples and languages *Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa **Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. *** Luoland, th ...

''benga and rumba'' genre of music. Ramogi was known for his spur of the good life and his notable appearances at bars and clubs in western Kenya- Nyanza region. During the beginning of his career. Ramogi is believed to have been the real force behind “

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 ...

” as a genre.

Biography

It was in 1965 that Ramogi and colleagues started the Luo Sweet Band, later changed to Continental Kilo Jazz Band (or C.K. Jazz). The nucleus of this group had been performing together, on and off, right up to Ramogi’s death at the age of 52 in 1997. Ramogi married Rosalia Kiayi, and later on a second wife, Bellah Ajode. In 1994, a small group of Kenyans in the

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pooled their resources to bring Ramogi and band to the US to perform. The "Safari" CD, recorded in the US, is an outgrowth of that tour and, in fact, contains praise songs (as is common) for several of the individuals who organised the tour. Although not a very polished production, it’s certainly authentic benga and it has its moments of greatness. The cassette contains more songs from the same recording session and somewhat better audio quality. Ramogi was a vivid story teller. In 'Ajali ya Sondu', he recounts a road accident in which a lorry killed many. In 1969, Argwings-Kodhek died in a road accident and Ramogi immortalized him in 'Argwings-Kodhek Onindo'. When a group of fishermen perished in Lake Victoria, he immortalized them in 'Rapar Jonam'. Ramogi has also been recognised through his recordings with other Kenyan musicians such as Were Carey,

Ochieng Kabaselleh Ochieng is an African name. People with this name include: * Bernard Ochieng, Kenyan footballer * Collins Ochieng (born 1987), Kenyan footballer * Daudi Ochieng (1925–1966), Ugandan politician * David Ochieng (born 1992), Kenyan footballer * Dunc ...

Daniel Owino Misiani Daniel Owino Misiani (22 February 1940 – 17 May 2006) was a Tanzanian-born musician based in Kenya, 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 grand ...

and

Tom Kodiyo Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

. He created ''C.K Dumbe Dumbe Jazz band'' in response to the popular Zairean group Orchestre Lipua Lipua. Dumbe Dumbe is a Luo word for the children playing in the rain (nyithindo go dumbe dumbe). On December 8, 1997, Ramogi succumbed to a short illness and was buried in his home, Weta Kamwala. Tom Kodiyo and Jimmy Likembe immortalized him in the song 'Rapar George Ramogi' with Orchestre Dumbe Dumbe
George Ramogi Widows George Ramogi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramogi, George 1945 births 1997 deaths Kenyan musicians