Sorya Kandia Kouyaté was a

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

n singer, considered at his early death in 1977 "one of the most powerful and mesmerizing African singers alive." Known for his powerful voice, and nicknamed "the voice of Africa", his music mixed tradition with

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

before the worldwide boom in

African music The continent of Africa is vast and its music is diverse, with different regions and nations having many distinct musical traditions. African music includes the genres like makwaya, highlife, mbube, township music, jùjú, fuji, jaiva ...

. A celebrity in

, he appeared at the UN and toured abroad. The 2012 reissue of a collection of his songs and a new book-length biography brought him to renewed attention.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kandia Kouyate, Sory Guinean male singers Year of birth missing 1977 deaths