Maria Tebbo – Sam Mangwana, 1979

Sam Mangwana is back in the spotlight this year, after a notable appearance at the Festival Au Fil des Voix in January, and most recently at Rio Loco in Toulouse in June. One of the leading lights of Congolese rumba, who moved to Côte d’Ivoire at the time, released Maria Tebbo in 1979, which got Africa dancing. Three tracks, three hits. The references in the lyrics to Cameroon and Zimbabwe further contributed to the international success of this album. Recorded at Studio Johanna in Paris, with Brice Wassy and Denis Hekimian on drums, Sammy Massamba (g), Roland Mvogo (b) and others.