Alpha Yaya Diallo

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Alpha Yaya Diallo
Alpha Yaya Diallo.jpg
Background information
Born1963or1964(age 60–61) [1]
Conakry, Guinea
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, balafon, djembe
Years active1980s–present
Labels Jericho Beach
Website alphayayadiallo.com

Alpha Yaya Diallo is a Guinean-born Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter. [2] He incorporates Guinea's rich musical tradition into his original compositions. Diallo has won two Juno Awards, shared a third, and was nominated another three times. [3]

Contents

Biography

Diallo was born in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. [2] When he was young, he followed his father, a doctor who was in demand all around the country; this exposed him to a wide variety of cultural experiences, both from the different ethnic groups within Guinea itself and from neighbouring countries. [4]

When Guinea gained its independence from France in 1958, its Marxist first president, Ahmed Sékou Touré, launched a cultural program aimed at the rediscovery and support of "Guinea's music, arts, dance and languages." [5] Diallo recalled that, "At the time every family had a member who was being trained in music." [6] He started playing percussion in school, but taught himself to play the guitar at an early age (either "probably six or seven" [6] or 12, [2] [4] according to his inconsistent recollections). At the University of Conakry, he became the bandleader of the Sons of Rais and toured extensively with them throughout West Africa. [2] After graduation, he performed with Love Systems, Kaloum Star and Sorsornet Rhythm. [2]

Diallo moved to Europe in the mid-1980s, where he worked particularly with the Fatala group, which played traditional Guinean music and was associated with Peter Gabriel's music label. [2] [4] After extensive touring, Diallo settled down in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1991. [2] [4] In 1993, he released his solo first album, Nene, which was nominated for a Juno Award, as was his 1996 album Futur. [3] He won his first Juno, for The Message in 1999 in the "Best World Music Album" category, a second in 2002 for The Journey and shared a third in 2004 for the African Guitar Summit compilation. [3] He released Djama in 2005. [7] He won the Best World Artist-Solo at the inaugural Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2006. [8] He plays with Ghanaian guitarist Pa Joe Diallo, Adam Solomo and Mighty Popo in African Guitar Summit. [4] [9] In addition to the guitar, he also plays the balafon and the djembe. [2] His backup band, since 1992, is called Baffing. [2]

He produced a film documentary entitled Best of Both Worlds, which was filmed in West Africa, Canada and France. [9]

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "Alpha Diallo – home is where the music is". New African Magazine. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 O'Toole, Thomas; Baker, Janice E. (16 March 2005). Historical Dictionary of Guinea. Scarecrow Press. pp. 65–66. ISBN   9780810865457.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The JUNO Awards: Alpha Yaya Diallo". Juno Awards.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Dacks, David (27 June 2010). "Alpha Yaya Diallo". Exclaim! .
  5. ↑ Camara, Mohamed Saliou; O'Toole, Thomas; Baker, Janice E. (7 November 2013). Historical Dictionary of Guinea. Scarecrow Press. p. 222. ISBN   9780810879690.
  6. 1 2 "Alpha Yaya Diallo: Musical Mixologist by Dave O Rama". BC Musician. 25 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Alpha Yaya Diallo". Festival International Nuits d'Afrique de Montréal. 2011. Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  8. ↑ Greg Quill, "Signs of strength in roots music; Great Big Sea ushered in Maritime revival", Toronto Star, 5 January 2006.
  9. 1 2 Graham Rockingham (23 February 2006). "Diallo singing for his people in Africa" . Retrieved 7 January 2012.[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "The JUNO Awards: World Music Album of the Year (2003-Present)". Juno Awards.
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