AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mory Kante

Artist:Mory Kante

Song:Yeke Yeke

Album:best of

Guinean singer songwriter Mory Kante scored an international hit with the 1987 single Yeke Yeke. Kante plays the kora which is a cross between a lute and a harp. It has 22 strings. He was born Mar. 29, 1950 in Albadaria, Guinea. He's from a family of griot or hereditary musicians. His mother was a singer. He was sent to Mali at seven years old to learn the griot traditions and to play the kora. Kante joined the Rail Band in 1971. Salif Keita was the singer at the time but he left in 1973. Kante was in the Rail Band for seven years. He started this huge band Les Milleus Branches and that's when Kante started incorporating soul into his music. Kante recorded his debut solo album in 1981. But then like a lot of African musicians, he moved to Paris. Kante signed with PolyGram's Barclay label. His breakthrough came with the 1987 album Akwabe Beach and the single Yeke Yeke. The song was a big hit across Europe. It was even a top 20 dance hit in the US. The album was recorded in Paris and produced by British producer Nick Patrick. He produced other African acts at the time. A 1995 remix of Yeke Yeke charted in England. Kante recorded for Barclay until Universal bought PolyGram in 1998. This comp is a good intro to his music. Kante recorded for several labels after that until he was forced to retire due to illness. Mory Kante died on May 22, 2020 at age 70. Here's the video for Yeke Yeke by Mory Kante.