Tabu Ley Rochereau was one of the artists who fused African and Latin rhythms into a form that brought Afro-pop to Europe and the rest of the world.
Over his career he wrote more than 2,000 songs and was nicknamed the Elvis Presley of Africa for the popularity of his music on that continent.
In 1970 he and his band had a 26 performance run of his music at the Paris Olympia opening the door for countless African musicians who followed.
In spite of his popularity in London, LA, NYC and other US cities, he refused to shorten his songs and insisted on presenting the extended Congolese rumba style called soukous for his western audiences.
Pascal Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabou was born in the backwater port town of Banningville in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The exact date and year of his birthday is in some doubt. He left behind an estimated 68 children (that's a BBC number and it's not a typo.)
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