Library

Alpha Blondy

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Gale Contemporary Black Biography:

Alpha Blondy

Top
Home > Library > History, Politics & Society > Black Biographies

reggae musician

Personal Information

Born Seydou Kone in Dimbokora, Ivory Coast, on January 1, 1953; member of the Dioula ethnic group; children: seven.
Education: Attended Hunter College and Columbia University, New York; studied to be an English teacher.
Religion: Raised Islamic; became Rastafarian.

Career

International reggae music star; sings in French, English, Arabic, Hebrew, Dioula, and other languages. Incarcerated in psychiatric hospitals in U.S. and Ivory Coast, 1970s; appeared on Ivory Coast television program First Chance; recorded debut album Jah Glory, a million-seller in Africa; album Cocody Rock released in the United States, 1984; toured widely, late 1980s; released Masada, in over 50 countries, 1992; released Yitzhak Rabin, 1998; toured United States and Canada, 1998; released Paris Percy, 2001.

Life's Work

Reggae, the spiritual and sometimes sharply political dance music that Jamaica exported to the rest of the world, has often carried a message of peace and universal understanding. One contemporary star who successfully put such ideas into musical practice was Alpha Blondy, a native of Ivory Coast on western Africa's southern-facing Atlantic shore. With a multicultural message delivered in diverse languages that included French, English, Arabic, Hebrew, and his native tongue of Dioula, this "African Rasta," as he often called himself, once even succeeded in calming a set of military hostilities in West Africa.

"In Africa the new generation, my generation, is a mixture of Western and African culture," Blondy told the New York Times. "Reggae has succeeded in a musical unification. It's a good therapy to bring people together." In the 1980s, Blondy seemed the heir apparent to reggae superstar Bob Marley; his popularity after that receded along with that of reggae music in general, but his fame remained international in scope. Many musicians have had to overcome obstacles in order to realize their artistic visions, but the personal trials Blondy experienced on the way to a musical career were nearly unprecedented in their magnitude.

A member of the Dioula ethnic group, Blondy was born Seydou Kone on January 1, 1953, in the Ivory Coast town of Dimbokora. He was raised by his grandmother in the predominant Islamic faith of his people but also learned French by reading the Bible. In school, he told the Toronto Star, he also gravitated toward "English ways" and hoped to become an English teacher. His education was interrupted after an incident that occurred after he was slapped by his math teacher. "Look, baby, a woman like you I got a lot of at home," he snapped back (as quoted in the Star), and slapped the teacher in turn. He sought to make amends to his outraged family by continuing to study English in the neighboring English-speaking country of Liberia.

Already a fan of reggae and of progressive rock acts such as Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, Blondy demonstrated enough talent as a student to win admission to Hunter College and Columbia University, both competitive institutions, when he came to the United States in the early 1970s. He moved in with a Jamaican classmate and seemed on the road to a successful teaching career, but then things started to go wrong. According to some reports he became addicted to the drug angel dust, and he began to spend much of his time singing in Central Park, accompanying himself with a drum. Adding to his trouble, he attempted to record an album, but an unscrupulous producer disappeared with the master tapes of his recording sessions.

Increasingly despondent due to what he described to the Star as "the African pride about success, a disease," Blondy was finally arrested and institutionalized at New York's Bellevue Hospital. Released after a year, he ran into even worse problems when he returned home to Ivory Coast and confronted a family that was, as he told the Washington Post, "expecting me to come back with a big diploma, a tuxedo and a car." Blondy continued, "But America is not easy; you don't just come and get the diploma. What you see in the movies, the reality is quite different." His parents, confronted with his Jamaican dreadlocks and total destitution, believed he had completely lost his senses and institutionalized him once again.

Blondy endured a brutal two years of forced medication at an asylum in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan, but he continued to write songs. After his release his fortunes finally began to improve. Taking the name Alpha Blondy (the name carries the connotation of "First Bandit" and may have resulted from a family member's mispronunciation of the word "bandit"), he performed on an Ivory Coast talent-search TV program, First Chance. Spotted by a producer, he recorded an album, Jah Glory, that went on to become an African million-seller.

One of that album's songs dealt with a police raid, a risky theme in authoritarian West Africa, and Blondy's fame spread. Jah Glory and its Paris-recorded 1984 follow-up, Cocody Rock, received international distribution, and, by the middle 1980s, many observers saw in Blondy a successor to the recently deceased Bob Marley, who had drawn huge crowds in the years immediately before his 1981 death from a brain tumor. Blondy toured the United States and Europe, and like Marley he applied his talents to the peaceful resolution of political conflict. A 1986 concert he gave on the border between the warring nations of Mali and Burkina Faso is credited with helping to bring about a cessation of hostilities.

Such albums as Jerusalem, Apartheid is Nazism and Masada brought Blondy worldwide acclaim. Masada was released in over 50 countries. Though firmly rooted musically in the reggae tradition, Blondy added to it a distinctive element of African percussion and African-style backup vocals--his full band, Solar System, had 15 members--that allowed his music to succeed on his home turf. He often performed in colorful robes or army fatigues, sporting a Jewish Star of David on a helmet and carrying both a Bible and a copy of the Islamic Quran. Challenging his audiences to accept the differences among peoples, Blondy sung in Hebrew in Arabic countries and in Arabic in Israel, where he enjoyed a strong following.

For several years during the 1990s, Blondy dropped out of the music scene for several years and spent some time attending to the seven children he has fathered with seven different women. He returned to action with the 1998 CD Yitzhak Rabin, commemorating the slain Israeli leader who had tried to bring peace to the Middle East. Partly recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, at Marley's Tuff Gong studios, Yitzhak Rabin featured backup vocals from Marley's former backing group, the I-Threes. The Ottawa Citizen noted the album's "shimmering, textured sound," and fresh tours undertaken in support of the release put Blondy back in the limelight in the West--although youthful listeners in his native Ivory Coast had largely moved on to newer acts. Blondy's album Paris Percy was released in 2001.

Works

Selected discography

  • Jah Glory, ca. 1980 (reissued by Moya label, 1985).
  • Cocody Rock, Shanachie, 1984.
  • Jerusalem, Shanachie, 1986.
  • Revolution, Shanachie, 1987.
  • Apartheid Is Nazism, Shanachie, 1987.
  • The Prophets, Capitol, 1989.
  • The Best of Alpha Blondy, Shanachie, 1990.
  • SOS Tribal War, Alex, 1991.
  • Masada, World Pacific, 1992.
  • Live au Zenith, World Pacific, 1992.
  • Dieu, World Pacific, 1994.
  • The Best of Alpha Blondy, World Pacific, 1995.
  • Yitzhak Rabin, Lightyear, 1998.
  • Paris Percy, Shanachie, 2001.

Further Reading

Books

  • Larkin, Colin, ed., The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin, 1998.
Periodicals
  • Billboard, July 10, 1993, p. R2.
  • The Gazette (Montreal, Canada), November 21, 1998, p. D9.
  • Jerusalem Post, June 6, 2000, Arts p. 10.
  • Los Angeles Times, February 21, 1988, Calendar p. 76; February 29, 1988, Calendar p. 6.
  • New York Times, March 22, 1998, p. C13.
  • Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 1998, p. F6.
  • Toronto Star, March 31, 1988, p. B3.
  • Washington Post, April 8, 1988, p. D1; August 5, 1998, p. C5; August 7, 1998, p. D4; January 10, 2000, p. A14.
Online
  • All Music Guide, http://allmusic.com.

— James M. Manheim

Gale Musician Profiles:

Alpha Blondy

Top
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Musicians

Reggae musician

Reggae, the spiritual and sometimes sharply political dance music that Jamaica exported to the rest of the world, has often carried a message of peace and universal understanding. One contemporary star who successfully put such ideas into musical practice was Alpha Blondy, a native of Ivory Coast on western Africa’s southern-facing Atlantic shore. With a multicultural message delivered in diverse languages that included French, English, Arabic, Hebrew, and his native tongue of Dioula, this "African Rasta," as he often called himself, once even succeeded in calming a set of military hostilities in West Africa.

"In Africa the new generation, my generation, is a mixture of Western and African culture," Blondy told the New York Times. "Reggae has succeeded in a musical unification. It’s a good therapy to bring people together." In the 1980s, Blondy seemed the heir apparent to reggae superstar Bob Marley; his popularity after that receded along with that of reggae music in general, but his fame remained international in scope. Many musicians have had to overcome obstacles in order to realize their artistic visions, but the personal trials Blondy experienced on the way to a musical career were nearly unprecedented in their magnitude.

A member of the Dioula ethnic group, Blondy was born Seydou Kone on January 1, 1953, in the Ivory Coast town of Dimbokora. He was raised by his grandmother in the predominant Islamic faith of his people but also learned French by reading the Bible. In school, he told the Toronto Star, he also gravitated toward "English ways" and hoped to become an English teacher. His education was interrupted after an incident that occurred after he was slapped by his math teacher. "Look, baby, a woman like you I got a lot of at home," he snapped back (as quoted in the Star), and slapped the teacher in turn. He sought to make amends to his outraged family by continuing to study English in the neighboring English-speaking country of Liberia.

Already a fan of reggae and of progressive rock acts such as Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix, Blondy demonstrated enough talent as a student to win admission to Hunter College and Columbia University, both competitive institutions, when he came to the United States in the early 1970s. He moved in with a Jamaican classmate and seemed on the road to a successful teaching career, but then things started to go wrong. According to some reports, he became addicted to the drug angel dust, and he began to spend much of his time singing in Central Park, accompanying himself with a drum. Adding to his trouble, he attempted to record an album, but an unscrupulous producer disappeared with the master tapes of his recording sessions.

Increasingly despondent due to what he described to the Star as "the African pride about success, a disease," Blondy was finally arrested and institutionalized at New York’s Bellevue Hospital. Released after a year, he ran into even worse problems when he returned home to Ivory Coast and confronted a family that was, as he told the Washington Post, "expecting me to come back with a big diploma, a tuxedo and a car." Blondy continued, "But America is not easy; you don’t just come and get the diploma. What you see in the movies, the reality is quite different." His parents, confronted with his Jamaican dreadlocks and total destitution, believed he had completely lost his senses and institutionalized him once again.

Blondy endured a brutal two years of forced medication at an asylum in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan, but he continued to write songs. After his release his fortunes finally began to improve. Taking the name Alpha Blondy (the name carries the connotation of "First Bandit" and may have resulted from a family member’s mispronunciation of the word "bandit"), he performed on an Ivory Coast talent-search television program, First Chance. Spotted by a producer, he recorded an album, Jah Glory, that went on to become an African million-seller.

One of that album’s songs dealt with a police raid, a risky theme in authoritarian West Africa, and Blondy’s fame spread. Jah Glory and its Paris-recorded 1984 follow-up, Cocody Rock, received international distribution, and, by the middle 1980s, many observers saw in Blondy a successor to the recently deceased Bob Marley, who had drawn huge crowds in the years immediately before his 1981 death from a brain tumor. Blondy toured the United States and Europe, and like Marley, he applied his talents to the peaceful resolution of political conflict. A 1986 concert he gave on the border between the warring nations of Mali and Burkina Faso is credited with helping to bring about a cessation of hostilities.

Such albums as Jerusalem, Apartheid is Nazism, and Masada brought Blondy worldwide acclaim; Masada was released in over 50 countries. Though firmly rooted musically in the reggae tradition, Blondy added to it a distinctive element of African percussion and African-style backup vocals—his full band, Solar System, had 15 members—that allowed his music to succeed on his home turf. He often performed in colorful robes or army fatigues, sporting a Jewish Star of David on a helmet and carrying both a Bible and a copy of the Islamic Quran. Challenging his audiences to accept the differences among peoples, Blondy sung in Hebrew in Arabic countries and in Arabic in Israel, where he enjoyed a strong following.

For several years during the 1990s, Blondy dropped out of the music scene and spent time attending to the seven children he has fathered with seven different women. He returned to action with the 1998 CD Yitzhak Rabin, commemorating the slain Israeli leader who had tried to bring peace to the Middle East. Partly recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, at Marley’s Tuff Gong studios, Yitzhak Rabin featured backup vocals from Marley’s former backing group, the I-Threes. The Ottawa Citizen noted the album’s "shimmering, textured sound," and fresh tours undertaken in support of the release put Blondy back in the limelight in the West—although youthful listeners in his native Ivory Coast had largely moved on to newer acts. Blondy’s album Paris Percy was released in 2001, followed by Merci in 2002. Merci was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Reggae Album the following year. Blondy used the fame he received following the Grammy nomination to call attention to a cause close to his heart: peace in his homeland of Ivory Coast following a rebellion that began on September 19, 2002. He spoke out passionately in his interviews, imploring people to understand the dire need for peace in the volatile region.

Selected discography
Jah Glory, c. 1980; reissued, Moya, 1985.
Cocody Rock, Shanachie, 1984.
Jerusalem, Shanachie, 1986.
Revolution, Shanachie, 1987.
Apartheid Is Nazism, shanachie, 1990.
The Prophets, Capitol, 1989.
The Best of Alpha Blondy, Shanachie, 1990.
SOS Tribal War, Alex, 1991.
Masada, World Pacific, 1992.
Live au Zenith, World Pacific, 1992.
Dieu, World Pacific, 1994.
The Best of Alpha Blondy, World Pacific, 1995.
Yitzhak Rabin, Lightyear, 1998.
Paris Percy, Shanachie, 2001.
Merci, Shanachie, 2002.

Sources
Books
Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 30, Gale Group, 2001.
Larkin, Colin, editor, The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin, 1998.

Periodicals
African News Service, January 16, 2003
Billboard, July 10, 1993, p. R2.
Gazette (Montreal, Canada), November 21, 1998, p. D9.
Jerusalem Post, June 6, 2000, Arts p. 10.
Los Angeles Times, February 21, 1988, Calendar p. 76; February 29, 1988, Calendar p. 6.
New York Times, March 22, 1998, p. C13.
Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 1998, p. F6.
Toronto Star, March 31, 1988, p. B3.
Washington Post, April 8, 1988, p. D1; August 5, 1998, p. C5; August 7, 1998, p. D4; January 10, 2000, p. A14.

Online
"Alpha Blondy," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (November 6, 2002).
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Alpha Blondy

Top
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists
  • Genres: Reggae

Biography

Hailing from the Cote d'Ivoire, Alpha Blondy is among the world's most popular reggae artists. With his 12-piece band Solar System, Blondy offers a reggae beat with a distinctive African cast. Calling himself an African Rasta, Blondy creates Jah-centered anthems promoting morality, love, peace, and social consciousness. With a range that moves from sensitivity to rage over injustice, much of Blondy's music empathizes with the impoverished and those on society's fringe. Blondy is also a staunch supporter of African unity, and to this end, he sings to Moslem audiencess in Hebrew and sings in Arabic to Israelis. Some of his best-known songs include "Cocody Rock," "Jerusalem," and "Apartheid Is Nazism."

He was born a member of the Jula tribe in Dimbokoro and named Seydou Kone, after his grandfather. His grandmother, Cherie Coco, raised him. He was always a rebellious child and for this, Coco named him "Blondy," her unique pronunciation of the word "bandit." When he started performing professionally, he took on the name Alpha (the first letter in the Greek alphabet) so his name literally translates to "first bandit." Though he grew up listenting to African folkloric music such as yagba and gumbe, his primary musical influences were such Western bands as Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and soul artists like Otis Redding. Later Bob Marley's music tremendously affected Blondy. Though he wanted to become a musician, his family expected him to become a respectable English teacher. He studied English at Hunter College in New York, and later in the Columbia University American Language Program. Outside of class, he would play music in Central Park and in Harlem clubs where occasionally house bands would let him sing his Bob Marley covers in French, English, and various West African languages. One night, record producer Clive Hunt heard Blondy sing and invited him to record six songs. Unfortunately, Hunt absconded with the tape. Shortly afterward, he returned to the Ivory Coast, where he was arrested for threatening the ambassador at the New York Ivorian embassy because the diplomat felt that Blondy's English was too good for him to be an Ivorian native. While at the police station, Blondy's temper again flared and he slapped a policeman (after the cop slapped him first). He spent a week in jail and then stayed briefly at th Bingerville Asylum in Abidjan, where he was declared reasonably sane and released. Soon afterward, he began honing his songwriting and performing skills. Later, he dedicated an album to the patients of Bingerville.

Blondy got his big break from friend Fulgence Kass, an employee of Ivory Coast Television who helped him land a spot on the Premiere Chance talent show. Singing three of his own tunes plus Burning Spear's "Christopher Columbus," the young artist was a hit with the audience. Blondy then hooked up with producer G. Benson who recorded his eight-song debut album Jah Love in a single day. The most popular song, "Brigadier Sabari," was an account of Blondy's run-in with an Abidjan police street raid in which he was nearly beaten to death. It was the first time a West African artist had dared to mention random police brutality in public. After releasing the album, he and the newly formed Solar System band signed to EMI. They recorded his second album, Cocody Rock, in Paris in 1984. Later he returned to Tuff Gong to record his third album, Jerusalem (1986). By the release of his 1987 album Revolution, Blondy had established himself as an international artist. Three years before he had been voted the number one artist by a Radio France international poll. His popularity continues to grow, and he continues steadily releasing albums. His 1992 album, Masada, was released in over 50 countries around the world and went double gold in France. Yitzhak Rabin followed in 1998; Paris Percy appeared in spring 2001. Although it was recorded in 1999, the album Elohim appeared in 2002 in Europe and three years later in America. The career-spanning Akwaba: The Very Best of Alpha Blondy was also released in 2005. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Alpha Blondy

Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Alpha Blondy

Alpha Blondy at Solidays Festival, (Longchamp Racecourse), France, 2008
Background information
Birth name Seydou Koné
Born (1953-01-01) January 1, 1953 (age 59)
Dimbokro, Côte d'Ivoire
Genres Reggae
Occupations Singer/Songwriter
Years active 1981–present
Website AlphaBlondy.info alphablondyjahgloryfoundation.org

Alpha Blondy (born January 1, 1953)[1] is a reggae singer and international recording artist. Alpha Blondy was born Seydou Koné in Dimbokro, Côte d'Ivoire. He sings mainly in his native language of Dioula, in French and in English, and sometimes in Arabic or Hebrew. His lyrics convey serious political attitudes and a sense of humor.

Contents

Early years

Childhood

First son of a family of 9 children, Seydou Kone was raised by his grandmother, growing up in what he described as "among elders", which later was to have a big impact on his career. In 1962, Alpha Blondy went to join his father in Odienné, where he spent ten years, attending the Sainte Elisabeth high school, and getting involved in the Ivory Coast students movement. Here he formed a band. But, this hobby affected his schooling and Alpha Blondy was expelled due to poor attendance. His parents then sent him to study English in Monrovia in the neighboring country of Liberia in 1973. He spent thirteen months there and then moved to the United States of America to improve his English.[2]

First stay in the USA

In 1973 Seydou moved to New York (also briefly Texas), where he studied English at Hunter College in New York, and later in the Columbia University American Language Program. He majored in English because he wanted to become an English teacher. He had to work part-time, and sometimes at night, and became ill. In New York he met Rastafarians for the first time, and was also able to see concerts by Jamaican artists such as Burning Spear. At this time he was recording Christian music but never stopped writing his own songs. Eventually he got into various scrapes in New York and returned to the Ivory Coast, where he got into even more trouble until he met up with one of his childhood friends, Fulgence Kassi, who had become a noted television producer. This was the beginning of his real career as a singer, and he began to use the name "Alpha Blondy".[3]

Musical career

After various TV shows for Kassi, Blondy recorded his first solo album in 1982, entitled Jah Glory. This album was to have enormous success and would become later a symbol of resistance because of the song "Brigadier Sabari", where Alpha criticized the harassment by the police. Some of this was based on personal experience, as Alpha himself had seen police violence. Alpha Blondy became a big star in Abidjan with his own African twist of Reggae music, becoming in the eyes of his fans "the Bob Marley of Africa". Alpha Blondy is spiritual, political and positive just like Marley himself, and even recorded a cover of Bob Marley's song "War". And he doesn't stop progressing; in order to reach more people with his message, he chose to sing in many languages: English, French, Baoule, and his own native language – Dioula. Later he also brought new instrumentation to his brand of reggae such as the violin and cello.

Soon the fame of Alpha Blondy spread to Europe. Following the success of an EP entitled “Rasta Poué” he went to Paris in 1984 to make his second album, Cocody Rock, with the label Pathe Marconi. The "Bob Marley of Africa" traveled to the island of Jamaica and recorded the title track of this album with Marley’s backing group, The Wailers.

Back home in 1985, Alpha went into the studio to record Apartheid is Nazism. This album was more politically committed than ever. It is a call for the end of Apartheid and the freedom for all. In 1986 Blondy recorded “Jerusalem” at the legendary Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica, again with The Wailers featuring Bob Marley's legendary Bass Aston "Family Man" Barrett. Blondy tried to promote unity between the religion of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. He drew his arguments and inspiration from his own diverse knowledge of the Bible, the Quran and the Torah. That same year, Blondy sang in Hebrew during a concert in Morocco. At this point he was touring continuously. His new album Revolution had a lighter, gentler sound; this was the album with cellos in the instrumentation, and the line-up included veteran Ivory Coast singer Aicha Kone. The album also included "Jah Houphouët parle", a long speech by the Ivory Coast president with only the most minimal beat behind it.

Blondy spent the years 1987–1989 giving concerts and recording SOS Guerre Tribale in Abidjan. This was promoted by Blondy himself as he was distancing himself from Pathe Marconi at this stage. This was not to be a real success but this wasn't going to stop Blondy and in 1991 he returned to Europe for a concert tour and to record his famous album Masada with the help of musical legends such as Bocana Maiga and UK reggae producer Dennis Bovell. The album, with its hit single "Rendez Vous" was a huge success, and later, Blondy was to receive his first Gold Disc in Paris.

At the beginning of 1993, worn out from a world tour, Blondy succumbed to depression and was taken into an institution for psychiatric help. But as his health recovered he recorded the album Dieu ("God"), on which he appears more spiritual and religious, on tracks such as "Heal Me", about his illness and recovery.

Blondy's psychiatric treatment continued but, on December 10, 1994, Blondy was back with the festival in memory of the late President Houphouet, and later he made his European comeback at a storming concert at Le Zenith in Paris. In 1996, Blondy released a hits compilation and went back into the studio to record the album Grand Bassam Zion, singing in six languages: Malinke, Arabic, French, English, Ashanti and Wolof.

After two more years in Paris, Blondy returned to his homeland in 1998, with a new album, The Prophet. Convinced his label was too much focused on the international market, he decided to create his own label. Since then Alpha has recorded albums and singles, such as "Yitzhak Rabin", in memory of the Israeli prime minister who was assassinated in 1995 (this was accompanied by yet another grueling tour of Europe), the single "Journaliste en Danger" from his 2000 album Elohim.[4]

Alpha Blondy celebrated 20 years as a recording artist, with the release of his CD MERCI, in 2002 featuring Ophelie Winter and Saian Supa Crew, which earned him a 2003 Grammy Awards Nomination for "Best Reggae Album". However due to the political situation in his home country of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), he was unable to personally attend the prestigious award ceremony in New York City. In an unprecedented move, the Grammy Awards permitted him to send a representative in his place of honor. [5] In 2005 Akwaba was released. His latest CD is entitled "Jah Victory" and was released July 2007. It features Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare as well as Tyrone Downie formerly of Bob Marley and the Wailers. "Victory" is in honor of the peace agreement that was reached and implemented in his country in March 2007. [6]

One of his most popular and successful songs was Sébé Allah Y'é.

On July 19, 2009, Alpha Blondy performed at New York's Central Park before a crowd of many native Africans, Jamaicans, and Americans.

June 13, 2010, a large crowd was allowed into a Blondy concert in the Ivory Coast to celebrate the peace and unity of the country, and at least 20 people were injured, two of whom died.[7]

June 27, 2010, Alpha Blondy was the closing act at Parkpop, The Hague, Netherlands. He replaced Snoop Dogg and Beenie Man.

Blondy has also been an important influence on other African reggae artists such as Ismaël Isaac.[8]

Faith

Alpha Blondy was born to a Muslim mother and a Christian father, and was brought up by a grandmother who taught him to love everyone. Blondy's respect for all religions and the spirituality he derives from them can be heard on the tracks “God is One” or “Jerusalem” where he sang for unity between all religions in 1986.

Humanitarian

Alpha Blondy (Seydou Kone) was named United Nations Ambassador of Peace for Côte d'Ivoire in 2005. He made great efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to his country's political and physical division which was a result of an attempted Coup in 2001. As of March 2007 a peace agreement was signed and implemented, due to the hard work of many people including Alpha Blondy. Alpha now reaches out further with the newly created not-for-profit, non-government, non-political, charitable foundation, Alpha Blondy Jah Glory Foundation, which works towards ending social injustice and generational poverty by giving people the tools that they need to help themselves. He strongly believes in helping the poor (Jah Glory), and also that children should not be hurt. The Foundation strives to create and implement grassroots programs at the village level, such as the Women’s Self-Sufficiency Micro Loan Program, to teach women who are caring for multiple orphans how to start and manage their own business, to better provide for their families, as well as other sustainable projects, such as the Tafari-Genesis Retreat Camp for Children (Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso). It especially hopes to bring joy and hope to children who have been affected by civil wars, former child soldiers, and those who suffer from chronic life-threatening illnesses, such as sickle-cell anemia, malaria, asthma, etc.

Talking about Alpha Blondy, people think usually of music and indeed since 1980 he has written at least 17 albums and 194 titles. This itself indicates the great value he represents for his fans. Alpha is no longer an Ivorian star but an International Mega Star because of his fight for peace and unity all around the world. One example was his single “Who Are You” with Ophelie Winter against antipersonnel mines. He has also participated at many humanitarian and charity concerts, such as the concert in Senegal in March 2006 for the eradication of Malaria in Africa (where he appeared along with many other celebrities). He has done much, much more of this type of work in the Ivory Coast itself, especially at his annual free concert at Bassam beach called “festa”.

Best known songs

His first success was Brigadier Sabari. Some representative songs are :

  • Sebe Allah Y'e
  • Jah Glory – in which he sings against poverty
  • Apartheid is Nazism
  • Brigadier Sabari – satirical lyrics about police brutality.
  • Cocody Rock – has become an Alpha Blondy anthem, which everyone knows and sings
  • Guerre Civile – about civil war
  • Jerusalem – a call for peace. The lyrics begins with a Hebrew prayer in Hebrew
  • Journalistes en danger – about the assassination of Norbert Zongo
  • Politiqui – about civilian / military government alternance
  • Yitzhak Rabin – written in 1995, following the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and dedicated to him.
  • Sweet Fanta Diallo
  • Téré
  • Blesser
  • Rasta Poué

Discography

1980s

Album/Released Track List Notes
Jah Glory! (1983)
  1. "Jah Glory"
  2. "The End"
  3. "Bêbi Yêrê Yé"
  4. "Bintou Wêrê-wêrê"
  5. "Brigadier Sabari"
  6. "Dou Nougnan"
 featuring The Natty Rebels
Cocody Rock! (1984)
  1. "Cocody Rock"
  2. "Tere"
  3. "Super Powers"
  4. "Interplanetary Revolution"
  5. "Fangan Kameleba"
  6. "Bory Samory"
Apartheid Is Nazism (1985)
  1. "Afriki"
  2. "Jah Houphouet"
  3. "Apartheid Is Nazism"
  4. "Idjidja"
  5. "Sahel"
  6. "Sebe Allah Y'e"
  7. "Kiti"
  8. "Come Back Jesus"
  9. "Djinamory"
Jerusalem (1986)
  1. "Jerusalem"
  2. "Politiqui"
  3. "Bloodshed In Africa"
  4. "I Love Paris"
  5. "Kalachnikov Love"
  6. "Travailler C'est Trop Dur"
  7. "Miva"
  8. "Boulevard De La Mort"
  9. "Dji"
 featuring Wailers Band
Revolution (1987)
  1. "Sweet Fanta Diallo"
  2. "Blesser"
  3. "Jah Houphouet Boigny Nous Parle"
  4. "Rock And Roll Remedy"
  5. "Time"
  6. "Election Koutcha"
  7. "Miri"
 featuring The Solar System
Rasta Poué (1988)
  1. "Rasta Poué"
  2. "Bintou Wêrê-wêrê"
  3. "Jah Glory"
  4. "Dou Nougnan"
  5. "Brigadier Sabari"
  6. "The End"
  7. "Bêbi Yêrê Yé"
  8. "Rasta Fou"
The Prophets (1989)
  1. "The Prophet (Allah Léka Netchi)"
  2. "Banana"
  3. "Coup D'etat"
  4. "Kolombaria"
  5. "Face To Face"
  6. "Black Men Tears"
  7. "Corinthiens"
  8. "Jah Music"
 featuring The Solar System

1990s

Album / Released Track List
Masada (1992)
featuring The Solar System
  1. "Masada"
  2. "Multipartisme (Mediocratie)"
  3. "Rendez-vous"
  4. "God Is One"
  5. "Yeye"
  6. "Desert Storm"
  7. "Houphouet Yako"
  8. "Peace In Liberia"
  9. "Papa Bakoye"
  10. "Les Chiens"
  11. "Sciences Sans Conscience"
  12. "Fulgence Kassy"
  13. "Ca Me Fait Si Mal"
  14. "Mystic Night Move"
SOS Guerre Tribale (1993)
  1. "Babylone Kêlê"
  2. "Yagba Dimension"
  3. "Cissê Kiri"
  4. "Café Cacao"
  5. "Sida In The City"
  6. "Véto De Dieu"
Live Au Zénith (Paris) (1993)
  1. "Intro: Jah Houphouët Boigny Nous Parle"
  2. "Psaume 23"
  3. "Jerusalem"
  4. "Masada"
  5. "Politiqui"
  6. "Cocody Rock"
  7. "Multipartisme (Médiocratie)"
  8. "God Is One"
  9. "Dji"
  10. "Come Back Jesus"
  11. "Bénédiction"
Dieu (1994)
featuring The Solar System
  1. "Abortion Is A Crime"
  2. "Dieu"
  3. "Wild Time"
  4. "Amour Papier Longueur"
  5. "La Guerre (d'après "War" de Bob Marley & The Wailers)"
  6. "Mon Père Avait Raison"
  7. "Rocking Time"
  8. "Heal Me"
  9. "Gorée (Sénégal)"
  10. "Afrique-Antilles"
  11. "Soukeina (Nangnele)"
  12. "Dos Au Mur"
Grand Bassam Zion Rock (1996)
featuring The Solar System
  1. "Ragga Gangstar"
  2. "Alpha Kaya"
  3. "Zion Love"
  4. "Course Au Pouvoir"
  5. "Ya Fohi"
  6. "Valérie"
  7. "Grand Bassam"
  8. "Mo"
  9. "Cheik Amadou Bamba"
  10. "Sefon Dance"
  11. "Unité Nationale"
  12. "Silence Houphouët D'or"
  13. "N'kabourou"
  14. "Mystère Naturel"
The Best Of (Alpha Blondy album) (1997)
  1. "Cocody Rock"
  2. "Apartheid Is Nazism"
  3. "Come Back Jesus"
  4. "Jerusalem"
  5. "Politiqui"
  6. "Sweet Fanta Diallo"
  7. "Banana"
  8. "Café Cacao"
  9. "Masada"
  10. "Rendez-vous"
  11. "Yéyé"
  12. "Fulgence Kassy"
  13. "Amour Papier Longueur"
  14. "Rendez-vous (Cool Summer Mix)"
Yitzhak Rabin (1998)
featuring The Solar System
  1. "New Dawn"
  2. "Yitzhak Rabin"
  3. "Assinie Mafia"
  4. "Les Imbeciles"
  5. "Armee Francaise"
  6. "Hypocrites"
  7. "Guerre Civile"
  8. "Saraka"
  9. "Les Larmes De Therese"
  10. "Lalogo"
  11. "Bakoroni"
  12. "Maimouna"
Elohim (1999)
  1. "Les Voleurs De La Republique"
  2. "Monin"
  3. "Journalistes En Danger (Democrature)"
  4. "Waikiki Rock"
  5. "When I Need You"
  6. "Take No Prisoner (Cannibalistic)"
  7. "Petini Go Gaou"
  8. "Sabotage"
  9. "Lune De Miel (Honeymoon)"
  10. "Haridjinan"
  11. "La Queu Du Diable"
  12. "Dictature"
  13. "Djeneba"
  14. "Black Samourai"

2000s

Album / Released Track List
Paris Bercy (2001)
  • CD 1
  1. "Intro"
  2. "New Dawn"
  3. "Hypocrite"
  4. "Jah Glory"
  5. "La Queue Du Diable"
  6. "Black Samourai"
  7. "Samala"
  8. "Sweet Fanta Diallo"
  9. "Assinie Mafia"
  10. "Guerre Civile"
  11. "Las Iarmes De Thérèse"
  12. "Peace In Liberia"
  • CD 2
  1. "Les Imbeciles"
  2. "Unité Nationale"
  3. "Medley: Afriki/Bintou/Idjidja/Samory/Rasta Poué"
  4. "Haridjinan"
  5. "Journalistes En Danger"
  6. "Dou Nougnan"
  7. "Tere"
  8. "Brigadier Sabari "
Merci (2002)
  1. "Wari"
  2. "Who Are You"
  3. "Quitte Dans Ça"
  4. "Souroukou Logo"
  5. "God Bless Africa"
  6. "Zoukéfiez-moi Ça"
  7. "Ato Afri Loué"
  8. "Politruc"
  9. "Hey Jack"
  10. "Vanité"
  11. "Si On M'avait Dit"
  12. "Le Feu"
Akwaba: The Very Best Of (2005)
featuring The Solar System
  1. "Sweet Sweet (Mix)"
  2. "Good Luck Is Africa"
  3. "Yana De Fohi"
  4. "Apartheid Is Nazism"
  5. "Cocody Rock (Remix)"
  6. "Jerusalem"
  7. "Banana Poyo (Mix)"
  8. "Black Samourai"
  9. "Rasta Poué"
  10. "Travailler C'est Trop Dur"
  11. "Rendez-vous (Cool Summer Mix)"
  12. "Assinie Mafia"
  13. "Masada"
  14. "Wari"
  15. "Young Guns"
  16. "Sweet Fanta Diallo"
  17. "Afriki"
  18. "Desert Storm"
  19. "Bloodshed In Africa"
  20. "Dieu"
Jah Victory (2007)
  1. "I Wish You Were Here"
  2. "Sankara"
  3. "Ranita"
  4. "Ne Tirez Pas Sur L'Ambulance"
  5. "Demain T'Appartient"
  6. "Bahia"
  7. "Mister Grande Gueule"
  8. "Africa Yako"
  9. "Cameroun"
  10. "Jah Light"
  11. "Le Bal Des Combattus"
  12. "Tampiri"
  13. "Les Salauds"
  14. "Sales Racistes"
  15. "Ikafo"
  16. "Jesus"
  17. "Gban-gban"
  18. "La Planete"
  19. "La Route De La Paix"

2010s

Album / Released Track List
Vision (2011)
  1. "Rasta Bourgeois"
  2. "Stewball"
  3. "Trop Bon"
  4. "Pinto (Mon Kôyoga Préféré)"
  5. "C'est Magic"
  6. "Tu Mens"
  7. "Ma Tête"
  8. "Vuvuzela"
  9. "Bôgô"
  10. "Ces Soi-Disant Amis"
  11. "Massaya"
  12. "Le Cha-Cha-Cha Du CFA"
  13. "L'Autre Rive"
  14. "Vuvuzela - Remix By Kore, Featuring Leslie"
  15. "Vuvuzela Video"

References

  1. ^ "De Dimbokro à Monrovia". Alphablondy.info. http://www.alphablondy.info/article.php?aid=56. Retrieved 2012-04-03. 
  2. ^ Interview with Montreal Mirror, September 2003.
  3. ^ "Alpha Blondy Music". Alphablondy.info. http://www.alphablondy.info/article.php?=58. Retrieved March 27, 2005. 
  4. ^ "Alpha Blondy Music". Alphablondy.info. http://www.alphablondy.info/article.php?=58. Retrieved March 27, 2005. 
  5. ^ "The Living Legend". alphablondyjahgloryfoundation.org. http://www.alphablondyjahgloryfoundation.org/livinglegend. Retrieved June 2007. 
  6. ^ princessalphablondyjahgloryfoundation.org
  7. ^ "Deaths reported at Ivory Coast Alpha Blondy concert". BBC News. 2010-06-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10303927.stm. Retrieved 2012-04-03. 
  8. ^ (French)"Ismaël Isaac". ivoire-music.com. http://www.ivoire-music.com/Francais/Cat_Fr/CatI_Fr/IsmaelIsaac_Fr.htm. Retrieved October 17, 2009. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alpha Blondy

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Related answers

What is alpha kappa alpha motto? Read answer...
How are kappa alpha psi and alpha kappa alpha related? Read answer...
What does alpha alpha radiation do? Read answer...
What is the mascot of alpha kappa alpha? Read answer...

Help us answer these

Has alpha blondy been married?
Who is next to alpha blondy?
Is alpha blondy currently working on an album?
alpha blondy first concert to zenith?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

Copyrights:

Cite
Gale Contemporary Black Biography Contemporary Black Biography. Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Cite
Gale Musician Profiles Contemporary Musicians © 1989-2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Cite
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved. Read more
Cite
Wikipedia on Answers.com This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Alpha Blondy. Read more

Related answers

When was Alpha Blondy born?
Is Alpha Blondy Muslim?
What is Alpha Blondy's birthday?
How old is Alpha Blondy?
» More

Answer these

IS Alpha Blondy Dead?
What was alpha blondy's main goal?
Is alpha blondy marry?
Is Alpha Blondy musilm?
» more

Featured guides

» More

Mentioned in

Radical Roots from the Emperor of African Reggae (2004 Album by Alpha Blondy)
Djanka Diabate (World Artist, '90s)
Planet Africa (1991 Album by Various Artists)
Live 8 Paris (Music Film)
Masada (1992 Album by Alpha Blondy)
» More