Oliver N'Goma (23 March 1959 – 7 June 2010) was a Gabonese afro-zouk and

soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo). It derived from Congolese rumba in ...

singer and guitarist. He was born in Mayumba in south-west

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

in 1959. He is best known for his 1990 song ''Bane''.

Early life

N'Goma's was first exposed to music by his father, a teacher and

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

player. N'Goma took his first music lessons at the age of eight, and began performing for audiences in 1971, after his family left Mayumba for the Gabonese capital,

Libreville Libreville (; ) is the capital and largest city of Gabon, located on the Gabon Estuary. Libreville occupies of the northwestern province of Estuaire Province, Estuaire. Libreville is also a port on the Gabon Estuary, near the Gulf of Guinea. A ...

so that he could attend school. While taking classes in accounting, he joined the school band, called Capo Sound, with whom he learned to play guitar. The group performed at formal events, honing N'Goma's ability to perform on-stage. In 1988, N'Goma's love of film led him to a job with Gabon TV, where he worked in France as a

cameraman A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not necessarily imply that a male is performing the task. ...

Career

In Paris, N'Goma completed his demo tapes, which he had recorded at home in Gabon. He shared this music with Manu Lima, a well-known Cape Verdean record producer. Lima was impressed with N'Goma's music and handled the artistic direction of his first record, ''Bane''. The album enjoyed modest success until receiving heavy airplay in Africa. In particular, the title track rose in popularity in Africa, France, and the French West Indies, as a party

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

. The album is one of the best-selling African albums to date. N'Goma released a second album, ''Adia'' in December 1995, again working with Manu Lima. Five years later, N'Goma released his third album, ''Seva'', without the help of Lima. In 2006, the pair reunited for ''Saga''. A

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

compilation, ''Best of Oliver N'Goma'' was released in 2004.

Discography

*''Bane'' (1990) *''Adia'' (1995) *''Séva'' (2001) *''Saga'' (2006) *''Lusa'' (1990) *''Icole''(1990) *''Muetse'' (1995) *''Ellie''(-) *''Nelly''(-) *''Helena''(-) *''Nge''(-) *''Alphosine''(-) *''Shado''(-) *''Elode''(-)

Death

Oliver N’Goma died from

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

, which he had battled for the last two years of his life, on 7 June 2010 at Omar Bongo Hospital in

, Gabon.

In popular culture

*His song ''"Adia"'' was featured in the

Claire Denis Claire Denis (; ; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film '' Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s and of all time. Her work has dealt with themes of colonial and p ...

film ''

Beau Travail ''Beau Travail'' (, French for "good work") is a 1999 French film directed by Claire Denis, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Jean-Pol Fargeau, an adaptation of the novella ''Billy Budd'' by Herman Melville. The story is set in Djibouti, wh ...

''. *His song '
Nge
'' was sampled in the

Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign (), is an American rapper from New York. He first saw mainstream recognition for his 2019 single " Big Drip", which received platinum certification by the Recording ...

song
Self Made
'.

References

External links

* 1959 births 2010 deaths Deaths from kidney failure Gabonese singers Zouk musicians People from Nyanga Province 21st-century Gabonese musicians {{Gabon-bio-stub