Sekouba Bambino
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sekouba Bambino is the stage name of Sekouba "Bambino" Diabaté, a singer and musician born in Guinea, West Africa in 1964.
Diabaté hails from the village of Kintinya, some 25 kilometers from the town of Siguiri. He was born into a musical family, and is descended from a long line of griot people, known in some Mande languages as jeli. From the age of eight, Diabaté sang with local bands and began to achieve musical renown.
In 1983, at the age of 19, Diabaté was tapped to join Bembeya Jazz, Guinea's best-known musical group. He was given the nickname "Bambino" to distinguish him from one of the group's guitarists also named Sekou Diabaté (a.k.a. Sekou "Bembeya" a.k.a. "Diamond Fingers"). With Bembeya Jazz, the young vocalist undertook his first tour of Africa in 1985 and toured Europe the following year.
Sekouba Bambino released his first solo recording in 1991, and throughout the 1990s continued to record solo material as well as to sing with the African salsa group Africando. His music is popular throughout West Africa, particularly in Guinea, Mali and other countries where the Bambara and Malinke language spoken. He has become renowned for his vocal prowess, and his voice compares favorably with that of any of his home region's best male singers. He is little known outside Africa, however, as he has consistently chosen to remain true to his West African fan base. His most recent album was released in 2004.
