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Alpha Blondy

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Alpha Blondy (born Seydou Koné on January 1, 1953 in Dimbokoro, Côte d'Ivoire) is a reggae singer. He is a major star in West Africa. He has played with The Wailers. He studied English at Hunter College in New York, and later in the Columbia University American Language Program.

Alpha Blondy sings mainly in Dioula, French and English, but also sometimes in Arabic or Hebrew. His lyrics denote strong political attitude and humor. He invented the word "democrature" (it translates as "democratorship") to qualify some African governments.

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

Blondy features on a track on the 2005 Magic System album Petit Pompier.

Contents

Alpha Blondy’s background his family schooling and engagement

Alpha blondy s history

First son of a big family of nine children, Seydou Kone was born in Dimbokro in 1953. Raised by his grandmother, the young boy grew up in a very good environment and – having the same name as his deceased grandfather, he was treated as the little husband of his grandmother who was always by his side. He was raised in an environment of elders, which – later – was to have a big impact on his career. During his childhood, he understood quickly the importance of truth and the need to always tell the truth, no matter the consequences. In years 1962, Alpha Blondy went to his father's place, Odienne, where he spent ten years. He attended the public high school of the city where he assumed the function of president in the local section of the Ivory Coast students movement. A while later, the young boy formed a band with his school friends and played part-time and at weekends for the pleasure of the girls of the Sainte Elisabeth high school. However, his passion affected his schooling and Alpha Blondy was expelled from the school because of his poor attendance record. As he wanted to learn English he succeeded in convincing his mother to let him study English abroad, more precisely in the neighbouring country of Liberia. In 1973 the young boy was in Monrovia, the economic capital of Liberia. He spent thirteen months there and, motivated by his ambition and the desire to go further, he went back to his home country with the goal of going to the United Sates of America to improve his English. In 1973 the young Blondy fulfilled his dream by going to New York and applied first for a language programme in a business school, 'The Geneva School of Business' where he spent three months. Later on he attended 'The Hunter College' in order rapidly to improve his English skills. Alpha passed his exams successfully and had the privilege of enrolling in the American Language Program of Columbia University. He attended the programme over two years. He was obliged to work very hard part-time, and sometimes at night, to survive. This was not really satisfactory and, despite his driving ambition to succeed, he became ill from overwork. It’s in this situation that Alpha dropped out of school following doctor's advice to take a rest, and he took up one of his compatriots' and friend's invitation to go to Waco, Texas. In Waco, thanks to his friend: Oullaii Joachim, he got a farm job, in the poultry industry, but the young boy became quickly nostalgic for his life in New York. Indeed, it’s in New York that the young boy acquired his first Rasta approach and was also influenced by the concert of Burning spear in 1976, in Central Park. This time was the most important period of his musical education and orientation. After his stint as farmer, he soon had a job in the biggest area of the Christian music industry but never stopped writing his own songs. The important Jamaican producer, Clive Hunt, heard him sing some Bob Marley tracks and he recorded six which were never released. A quarrel with the Ivorian Ambassador resulted in his arrest and his return to the Ivory Coast. There, a fight with a policeman led to a jail sentence, but he was finally released and met up with one of his childhood friends, Fulgence Kassi, who had become a famous television producer. This was the beginning of his real career as a singer. Alpha Blondy Life, (2005). Alpha Blondy Info. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http:www.alphablondy.info/index.php

His musical inspiration

When Alpha Blondy started his solo career, at the beginning of the 80's, he acquired the nickname 'Alpha Blondy', which means Alpha the holing. He had just returned after a short absence from the music scene when he was discovered by the famous television producer, Fulgence Kassi. Impressed by the incredible talent of the young boy, Kassi invited Alpha for the first television show of his career, and the beginning of a long and interesting story. After various TV shows, Blondy finally fulfilled his dream by composing his first solo album in 1983, entitled 'Jah Glory'. This album was to have an enormous success and would become later a symbol of resistance because of the song 'Brigadier Sabari', where Alpha criticised the harassment of the police and took his own life's experience as an example. Indeed, few times before this song, Alpha was the victim of police brutality and decided to denounce this inappropriate behaviour of the security forces. A few times after his first appearance on the national musical scene, Alpha Blondy became a big star in Abidjan. He then proceeded totally to change the old conception of Reggae – which was known as a typical Jamaican sound. Alpha Blondy imposed his own style of Reggae and became an idol to his fans who were mostly teenagers, and who used to define him as the bob Marley of West Africa, because of the similarities of his message hs work communicated and his rebellious stance, excitable personality and his apparently endless supply of nervous energy. Alpha Blondy doesn't stop his progress, and as proof, 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. Soon the talent of Alpha Blondy was to be appreciated by the European countries, with his four-track entitled “Rasta Pou” becoming an important success in Europe. These successes encouraged him to go to Paris in 1984 with the aim of making more music. He signed his second album with the label Pathe Marconi EMI and recorded it, entitle 'Cocodyrock'. Considered as he was, to be the Bob Marley of west Africa, Alpha Blondy was to get the major opportunity of recording the fourth track of his new Album with Marley’s former backing group: The Wailers. Back home once more, Alpha went directly into the studio to start work on his new album entitled 'Apartheid is Nazism'. This album of Alpha Blondy's, recorded in 1985 was more politically committed than usual. It is an implied demand for the end of Apartheid and the freedom for all peoples. In 1986 Blondy recorded “Jerusalem” at the legendary Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica, again with The Wailers. 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 Koran and the Torah. The same year, Blondy during a concert in Morocco, chose to sing in Hebrew. In 1887 Blondy brought new musical instrument to his old musical flavour of reggae, the violin and cello. His new album 'Revolution' included some tracks such as 'Fanta Diallo', featuring the diva of Ivorian music, Aicha Kone. During the years 1987–1989 Blondy gave many concerts and, at the end of 1989, the singer recorded 'SOS Guerre Tribale', an album with eight tracks, in Abidjan. This was not to be a real success, however. But this wasn't going to stop Blondy because, at the beginning of 1991 he did several tours around Europe where he also recorded his famous album: 'Massada' with the help of some musical legends such as Bocana Maiga and Denis Bovel. The album with the single 'Rendez Vous' was a huge success, and later, Blondy – in recognition – was to receive his first Gold Disk and made his consecration in concert to the Zenith place from Paris. Unfortunately, at the beginning of 1993, owing to the excessive number of concerts and world tours, Blondy succumbe to depression from which he was unable to recover and was taken into an institution for psychiatric help. But, as soon as his health recovered a little, he recorded the album 'Dieu' ('God'), where he appears more mystical and religious. This album includes some tracks such as 'Abortion is a Crime' and 'Heal Me', where he express his own personal feelings and convictions.

Unfortunately, Blondy's mental instability continued and became more serious, and he once more visited a psychiatric center. But, on the 10th December 1994, Blondy was back with the festival organized for the commemoration of President Houphouet's death. Later on Blondy exploded in concert at the Zenith place in Paris and announced his comeback. In 1996, Blondy made the compilation of his musical career and went back into the studio to record the album 'Grand Bassam Zioin'. This album sings in almost six languages Malinke, Arabic, French, English, Ashanti and Wolof. In the year 1998, after many single tracks and albums, and a short period of rest in Paris, Blondy returned to his homeland with a new album entitled 'The Prophet'. Convinced his production label was too much focused on the international market, he decided to create his own label. Since its creation, Alpha recorded several albums and singles, such as 'Yitza Rabin' in memory of the Israeli minister who was assassinated in 1998, the single 'Journaliste en Danger' the album 'Elohim' in 2000, and 'Merci' in 2002, and anther featuring Ophelie Winter and Saian Supa Crew. His latest album, released in 2005, is entitled 'Akwaba' Alpha Blondy Music, (2005). Alpha Blondy’s Info. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http:www.alphablondy.info/article.php?=58

His Faith

Since the beginning of his career until today, Alpha Blondy kept very strongly his faith in God and his own religion concept, meaning the union of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. This side of Alpha Blondy can be perceived into some of his sound track like “Jerusalem” where he sang for unity between all religions in 1986, and the album entitled “God”, after getting out of a depression, the reggae star begged God for his help and succeed to overcome his trouble. God had always had an important effect on his fulfillment. Moreover, Alpha got multiple experiences and difficulties. Despite the fact that Alpha was educated in a Muslim Family, he learnt a lot on the Christian Religion, thanks to his Rasta philosophy and his job in the biggest Christian music industry.

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Alpha Blondy’s actions and engagement

Alpha Blondy had always been defined as a revendicator and a critic. He affirmed himself as the defender of free speech and fought against different forms of injustice as well as racism, authority, harassment, politic, manipulation and others social matters. One of his first sound track entitle “brigadier Sabari” where he denounced the politic harassment became the symbol of the population oppressed by the police repression. Alpha Blondy sang against politic manipulation and denounced the bad management of the government fund for some private goal in the album “les voleur de la republique” (republic robber) in year 2000. Despite the risk, he had the courage to denounce also the unjust murder of the burkinabees journalist Norbert Zongo in some mysterious conditions. But it is in 1998 that Alpha recorded the most engaged album entitle “Yitza Rabin” in which he appeared as very hard in critics. He wrote a song asking for the return of the French arguing that the Ivorian did not need to their services anymore .and the sound track “guerre civil “where he predicted the threatening of a civil war if the politicians did not stop their politic manipulation . Sahel University, (2006). Alpha Blondy’s Actions; retrieved April 1st, 2005, from sefos@yahoo.fr PCCI Center, (2006). Alpha Blondy’s Engagements. Retrieved April 2nd, 2006, from bamba400@hotmail.com

His action and contribution

Talking about Alpha Blondy, people think usually of music and it is not totally false because since the beginning of his career in 1980, he wrote at least 17 albums and 194 titles. This musical consecration is in part due to the symbol that he represents for his fan. Jah Blondy as his friend use to call him an Un goodwill ambassador because of his several actions in favor of peace and justice. We can cite his single with Ophelie Winter against the antipersonnel mines entitled “who are you”. The single had also participated at many humanitarian and charity concert, we can list his participation to the concert for the eradication of malaria in Africa organized in Senegal with the participation of many others celebrity in March 2006. Beside this, we cannot count the number of action in favor of the Ivorian young people and his usual mega free concert at Bassam beach called “festa”. Alpha is no longer an Ivorian star but a world star because of his fight for peace and unity all around the world.

Conclusion

Alpha Blondy is one of Africa's most famous musicians. He has built his reputation on several successful albums and on his commitment and ability to denounce injustices around the word. Despite some difficult episodes caused by overwork – which lead to a bout of depression – Alpha Blondy’s determination and talent has always permitted him to overcome his difficulties. Today, Alpha Blondy represents a model for the future generation, which is why he merits more attention.

Discography

References

Alpha Blondy Life, (2005). Alpha Blondy Info. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http:www.alphablondy.info/index.php

Sahel University, (2006). Alpha Blondy’s Actions; retrieved April 1st, 2005, from sefos@yahoo.fr

PCCI Center, (2006). Alpha Blondy’s Engagements. Retrieved April 2nd, 2006, from bamba400@hotmail.com

Alpha Blondy Music, (2005). Alpha Blondy’s Info. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http:www.alphablondy.info/article.php?=58

 

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