Kanda Bongo Man

{{short description|Congolese soukous musician (born 1955)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Kanda Bongo Man

| birth_name = Bongo Kanda

| background = solo_singer

| image =

| caption = Kanda Bongo Man (left) performs at Hitchin, England, July 2011

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|1|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Inongo, Belgian Congo
(present-day Democratic Republic of Congo)

| genre = Soukous, kwassa kwassa music

| occupation = Singer, musician

| instrument = Vocals, guitar

| years_active = 1973–present

| label = Bongo Man

| associated_acts = Kasaloo Kyanga

}}

Bongo Kanda{{cite web|url=http://africa-news.eu/entertainment/entertainment/entertainment/kanda-bongo-man-african-music-as-precious-as-diamond.html|title=Kanda interview with The AfroNew|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20160203113037/http://africa-news.eu/entertainment/entertainment/entertainment/kanda-bongo-man-african-music-as-precious-as-diamond.html|archivedate=2016-02-03}} (born 1 January 1955), better known by his stage name Kanda Bongo Man, is a Congolese soukous musician and singer.{{Cite web |title=African Music Encyclopedia: Kanda Bongo Man |url=http://africanmusic.org/artists/kanda.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531053020/http://africanmusic.org/artists/kanda.html |archivedate=May 31, 2008 |accessdate=17 October 2019 |website=Africanmusic.org}}{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=162}} His career debuted in 1973 when he became the singer for the Belle Mambo band, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley.Chris Stapleton's sleevenotes to Heartbeat Soukous His solo career only started to take off after he moved to Paris in 1979, where his music started to incorporate elements of then-vibrant zouk music popularized by Kassav (originating in the French West Indies). His first solo albums, Iyole in 1981 and Djessy in 1982, were hits.

He is known for the structural changes he implemented to soukous music. The previous approach was to sing several verses and have one guitar solo at the end of the song. Kanda Bongo Man revolutionized soukous by encouraging guitar solos after every verse and even sometimes at the beginning of the song. His form of soukous gave birth to the kwassa kwassa dance rhythm where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips.

Like many African rumba and soukous musicians before him, Kanda Bongo Man also had an entourage of musicians. Many of Kanda's musicians later moved on to start their own solo careers. Most notable of these was Diblo Dibala. Known as "Machine Gun," blo Dibala was a vital part of Kanda Bongo Man's lineup on several albums, playing guitar on both Kwasa Kwasa{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/kwassa-kwassa-mw0000201608/credits|title=Kwassa Kwassa - Kanda Bongo Man | Credits|website=AllMusic|accessdate=17 October 2019}} and Amour Fou.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/amour-fou-mw0000201435/credits|title=Amour Fou - Kanda Bongo Man | Credits|website=AllMusic|accessdate=17 October 2019}}

Kanda Bongo Man still tours in Europe and the United States. In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall. He has performed several times at the Africa Oyé Festival in Liverpool, most recently in June 2022.{{cite web|url=https://africaoye.com/artists/|title=Lineup Africa Oyé 2022|accessdate=21 June 2022}}