Thione Ballago Seck (March 12, 1955 – March 14, 2021) was a Senegalese singer and songwriter in the
mbalakh
Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia. In the 1970s, mbalax emerged as the distinctive sound of postcolonial Senegal. Derived from a fusion of indigenous Wolof sabar drumming with popular music principa ...
genre. Seck came from a family of
griot
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
singers from the
Wolof
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
people of Senegal. He first performed with
Orchestre 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 ...
, but he later formed his own band,
Raam Daan Raam Daan is a mbalax band from Senegal. Founded in 1974 by Thione Seck, Raam Daan has risen to become one of the most popular mbalax bands in Senegal (rivaled only by Youssou N’Dour
Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou ...
, of which he was a member until his death in 2021.
Early life
Seck was born 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 ...
on March 12, 1955. He was of
Wolof
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
descent and was raised Muslim. He first joined
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 ...
in the 1970s. After a decade of performing with the group, he established
Raam Daan Raam Daan is a mbalax band from Senegal. Founded in 1974 by Thione Seck, Raam Daan has risen to become one of the most popular mbalax bands in Senegal (rivaled only by Youssou N’Dour
Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou ...
.
[ ]
Career
Seck's album ''Orientation'' was one of four nominated for
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
's World Music Album of the Year in 2006.
In much of his music, and notably on this album, Seck experiments with the use of
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
&
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
scales
Scale or scales may refer to:
Mathematics
* Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points
* Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original
* Scale factor, a number w ...
. This supplements his laid back vocals and the band's intense
sabar
The sabar is a traditional drum from Senegal that is also played in the Gambia. It is associated with Wolof and Serer people.Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
films were a longstanding musical influence for him, and the experiment in a fusion style reflects this.
[
Other albums include ''XV Anniversary Live!'' (his second international release) and ''Daaly''.][ Seck contributed "Laye M'Boup," a tribute to the late Orchestre Baobab leader, to ''The Music in My Head'' soundtrack. He also wrote " Entends-tu le monde?" which was the lead single from Australian singer ]Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...
's seventh studio album ''7 vies
''7 vies'' is the eighth studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Tina Arena, released on 28 January 2008 on Columbia Records in France. The title translates into English as "7 Lives" and the first single from the album " Entends-tu le ...
''.[
Seck was arrested in May 2015, after ]€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
50 million in counterfeit money
Counterfeit money is currency produced without the legal sanction of a state or government, usually in a deliberate attempt to imitate that currency and so as to deceive its recipient. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or fo ...
was discovered in his home. He claimed that he was the "victim of a conspiracy" by Gambians residing in Sweden, who had offered him a €100 million contract for a series of 105 concerts throughout Europe.
Discography
;Albums
* ''Orientation'' (2005)[
* ''Daaly'' (1996)][
* ''Diaga'']The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal
''The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 2013. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release presents an overview of the music of Senegal on Disc One, and contains a ...
'' (2013, 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 ...
)
See also
* Baaba Maal
Baaba Maal ( ff, 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤦𞤢 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤, italics=no, born 13 June 1953) is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several al ...
* 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 ...
References
External links
Artist info at AfroPop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seck, Thione
1955 births
2021 deaths
20th-century Senegalese male singers
People from Dakar
21st-century Senegalese male singers