Alpha Yaya Diallo | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | Guinea |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, balafon, djembe |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Labels | Jericho Beach |
| Website | alphayayadiallo |
Alpha Yaya Diallo is a Guinean-born Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter. [1] 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. [2]
Diallo was born in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. [1] 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. [3]
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." [4] Diallo recalled that, "At the time every family had a member who was being trained in music." [5] He started playing percussion in school, but taught himself to play the guitar at an early age (either "probably six or seven" [5] or 12, [1] [3] 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. [1] After graduation, he performed with Love Systems, Kaloum Star and Sorsornet Rhythm. [1]
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. [1] [3] After extensive touring, Diallo settled down in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1991. [1] [3] In 1993, he released his solo first album, Nene, which was nominated for a Juno Award, as was his 1996 album Futur. [2] 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. [2] He released Djama in 2005. [6] He won the Best World Artist-Solo at the inaugural Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2006. [7] He plays with Ghanaian guitarist Pa Joe Diallo, Adam Solomo and Mighty Popo in African Guitar Summit. [3] [8] In addition to the guitar, he also plays the balafon and the djembe. [1] His backup band, since 1992, is called Baffing. [1]
He produced a film documentary entitled Best of Both Worlds, which was filmed in West Africa, Canada and France. [8]
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973.
"Liberté" is the national anthem of Guinea. Adopted upon independence in 1958, it was arranged by Fodéba Keïta and is based on the melody of a Maninka praise song by Korofo Moussa for 19th-century Fouta Djallon king Alpha Yayo Diallo.
Ahmed Sékou Touré was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who was the first president of Guinea from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was among the primary Guinean nationalists involved in gaining independence of the country from France. He would later die in the United States in 1984.
Guinea is a West African nation, composed of several ethnic groups. Among its most widely known musicians is Mory Kanté - 10 Cola Nuts saw major mainstream success in both Guinea and Mali while "Yeke Yeke", a single from Mory Kanté à Paris, was a European success in 1988.
Yaya Diallo is a musician and author from the Republic of Mali.
Jericho Beach Music is a record label in Vancouver, British Columbia that specializes in world music, folk, and jazz. It was named after Jericho Beach in Vancouver. The label was formed in 1997 and released its first album, Compadres by James Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez. It is an imprint of Festival Distribution.
African Guitar Summit is a group of nine Canadian musicians, all of African origin, who perform traditional songs from their native countries.
Shona Le Mottee is a Canadian celtic/pop fiddler and vocalist who previously lived in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2019 she relocated to Glasgow, Scotland.
Adam "The Professor" Solomon is a Juno Award-winning composer, guitar maestro, and singer. Solomon began performing at an early age, playing the kivoti (flute) and the kayamba (shaker) at village celebrations and festivals. He established his career playing lead guitar and singing on recordings and videos with some of Kenya's most popular bands and musicians, including Joseph Kamaru, Bana Citoyen, Super Kalles, Super Mazembe, Les Wanyika, Popo Lipo of Lessa Lessan, Professor Mb. Naaman with the Nine Stars Band, Kanda Bongo Man, Fadhili Williams, Juma Toto, and the Mombasa Roots Band. Adam's touring credits include workshops and performances with Congolese superstar Papa Wemba and Ismael Lo from Senegal.
Military unrest occurred in Guinea in late May 2008 as soldiers of the Military of Guinea demanded wage arrears. In the capital, Conakry, soldiers fired into the air, held the deputy chief of staff of the army prisoner, and engaged in looting. The government promised to pay the soldiers, and by the end of May the situation was reportedly calm.
Camp Boiro or Camp Mamadou Boiro (1960–1984) is a defunct Guinean concentration camp within Conakry city. During the regime of President Ahmed Sékou Touré, thousands of political opponents were imprisoned at the camp. It has been estimated that almost 5,000 people were executed or died from torture or starvation at the camp. According to other estimates, the number of victims was ten times higher: 50,000.
On 23 December 2008, a coup d'état occurred in Guinea, shortly after the death of long-time president Lansana Conté. A junta called the National Council for Democracy and Development, headed by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, seized power and announced that it planned to rule the country for two years prior to a new presidential election. Camara did indeed step down after Alpha Condé was elected in the 2010 election.
Mamadou Boye Bah was a Guinean political figure and economist and was one of the leading opponents of the presidents Sékou Touré and Lansana Conté.
Jesse Zubot is a Canadian musician primarily known for his violin playing. Zubot also works as a composer, producer and recording engineer.
Mamadi Keïta was a leading Guinean politician and member of the Politburo of the First Republic of Guinea.
Alioune Dramé was a Guinean economist and politician. He also served as an ambassador to Ivory Coast.
Alpha Oumar Barry (1925–1977) was a Guinean politician, a member of the cabinet of President Ahmed Sékou Touré in the first Guinean republic, who was later arrested and died at Camp Boiro.
The Clinique Ambroise Paré is a hospital in Conakry, Guinea, is considered to be the best hospital in the country.
Events in the year 2020 in Guinea.
The Message is an album by the Guinean-born Canadian musician Alpha Yaya Diallo. It was independently released in Canada in 1998, with an international release in 1999. The Message won a Juno Award for "Best Global Album". Diallo supported the album with a Canadian tour.
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