Alpha Blondy

Alpha Blondy grew up playing among vast crowds in Europe and Africa. He is a first-rate reggae star, hailed as a true successor to Bob Marley both for his music and his messages of peace and unity. Alpha Blondy's reggae is an international blend. He and his Solar Systems of Peace orchestra add an African accent to reggae, singing in a variety of languages including his native Dioula, French and English. He sang in Hebrew to an Arab audience, and in Arabic to an Israeli audience. "I give my crowd in America what I give in Africa, the same menu," he said.

Born January 1, 1953 in Dimbokro (Ivory Coast), Seydou or Blondy was raised by his grandmother Cherie Coco, who instilled in him the wisdom of the Koran and Dioula morality about tolerance and mixed marriages. Blondy chose French from the Bible and learned English at school, where he was expelled shortly after forming his first group, the "Atomic Vibrations". His grandmother gave him the nickname Blondy (a deformation of the word bandit), and he chose the name "Alpha" for the beginning. Attending drama in America, he spent a long time in New York, where for two years he studied economics and English at Columbia University. Though he worked as a messenger every day to pay for his studies, most of his nights were spent at the Harlem club, where he did not hesitate to jump on stage and sing classic Bob Marley songs in a language mixing English, French and Mandinque (a West African dialect) slang. When he recorded a production (Clive Davis heard Alpha), he rushed into the studio and recorded 6 songs... then disappeared with the tapes. Disappointed, Alpha Blondy packed his bags and returned to the Ivory Coast.

On his return to Abidjan, his family made a concerted effort to revive his career, but failed. Alpha Blondy believed in his songs and poetry; the struggle against oppression for freedom of expression. He reunited with TV producer Fulgence Kassy, who offered him a spot on the program "Première Chance". And he was on his way. Another producer, G. Benson, took him under his wing, and within 48 hours a version of one of his many songs was recorded: he ran from the police during one of their "street cleanup" operations. Sabari brigadier sung in Dioula, a very popular West African language, with a stutter of French, was the fruit of a happy experience. Alpha was the first to dare tackle the taboo subject of police brutality and abuse of power. Success quickly followed and a legend was born. The "Balados" (street boys) and Treichville (Abidjan Ghetto) street gangs had no problem identifying with his music.

JAH GLORY, his 1st album, recorded with the Ivory Coast television orchestra, became a big seller in the Ivory Coast and around the world. In September 1984, COCODY ROCK, his second album, was recorded in Paris and mixed in London, including a song ready to be reproduced in Kingston by the Wailers. By late 1985 he released his 3rd album APARTHEID IS NAZISM, a hymn to peace and freedom. His own elastic, insistent, urgent reggae style was made and marked in musical history. And Alpha Blondy began collecting awards.

In appreciation of his work, Blondy received the following recognition: in 1984 he was voted No. 1 on Radio France International. In 1985 he won the Golden Maracas for best French production, and in 1986 the Senghor prize for best African group, nominated by "Victoires de la Musique". Late 1986 saw the release of JERUSALEM, recorded, arranged and produced at Tuff Gong studio in Kingston, Jamaica, alongside Bob Marley's legendary group the Wailers. This music was a victorious combination of African punch and Jamaican thunder.

Slowly but surely, this West African superstar was on his way to becoming a reggae hero worldwide. October 1987 saw the world release of his 5th album REVOLUTION by Alpha Blondy, featuring the simple beat SWEET FANTA DIALLO. In March 1989, following a successful American tour, Alpha Blondy delivered his 6th album: THE PROPHETS. Then in 1990 his 7th album, SOS GUERRE TRIBALE, with 6 tracks, was released.

MASADA, released in January 1992, had already gone double gold in France, and the simple beat "rendez-vous" reached the top 10 (14 weeks in the top 50). MASADA was nominated by "Victoires de la Musique" and was released in over 50 countries worldwide. "I love reggae very much when it is done intelligently, when reggae is not talked about too much in terms of ganja (marijuana)," Blondy said.

Many of Alpha Blondy's songs are message songs — similar to his album APARTHEID IS NAZISM. But he really had only one thing to sing about, he said.

"My songs are really all love songs. When I talk about God, I talk about divine love; when I talk about politics having come together to make changes for the future generation, it is also a path to preaching love. We are all here on earth or somewhere beyond, around love starting with love. I think the world needs it, and we must give our children a chance — for a future generation, you see." What the future generation of Africa needs, Alpha Blondy said, is unity beyond tribal considerations.

"We in Africa must have experience of a United States of Africa. This is not a dream, it can be realized. Perhaps in 20 years or more, but I know that one day there will be more intellectuals, when education is valued for everyone. They will come from the next generation because today's leaders are too involved in many things to look at the requirements of African unity," Blondy said. For Blondy, he will definitely continue singing in the footsteps of Bob Marley (his great influence) although his tastes in reggae are very broad.