Dindo Yogo Biography
Dindo Yogo ,with his real name Théodore Dindo Mabeli, was born on December 30, 1955 in Lokutu he died on August 23, 2000 was a Congolese singer and musician. He was also called La Voix Cassée the Broken Voice.
Dindo Yogo Age
Dindo Yogo was born on 30 December 1955, He Died on 23 August 2000,
Dindo Yogo Family
Dindo Yogo was married twice, and had several children.
Dindo Yogo Career
In 1978, Dindo Yogo joined Papa Wemba’s Viva La Musica. In 1981 he left the band for the Langa Langa Stars founded by Verckys Kiamuangana, and in 1984 he made another move, this time to Zaiko Langa Langa. During that time, he also recorded a number of solo albums. In 1991, he left Zaiko Langa Langa, and went solo definitively until his death in 2000.
The dance music of Congo is best known for its mesmerising guitars, but the greatest respect and adulation usually goes to the singers. Dindo Yogo, who has died aged 45, was one those singers who moved people of all ages, social classes and ethnic allegiances with his plaintive, quivering voice, known as the voix cassé .
Yogo also gained a large international following through the 1980s as lead vocalist with the top Congolese band, Zaiko Langa Langa.
Dindo Yogo Obituary
Dindo Yogo was born in Lokutu, Equateur region. He was christened Théophile but later adopted the name Djangi Yogo. He grew up in Kinshasa, the music capital of Africa, during the heady days of independence, and joined his first group, Orchestre Machi, with his life-long friend, the guitarist Huit Kilos, scoring his first hit with Beyuna.
He then formed his own band Etumba Na Ngwaka (referring to the warrior qualities of his people), with whom he recorded the classic song Lola Muana. In 1979, he was invited to join Papa Wemba’s Viva la Musica, establishing himself at the top of a highly competitive music scene. When the producer Verckys founded Langa Langa Stars in 1981, Yogo became one of the original “seven patrons”. He recorded seven albums with that influential band. Two years later he joined Zaiko Langa Langa, the core group in what was then Zairean music.
Yogo collaborated on some of Zaiko’s most emotionally charged works, harmonising with the higher voices of Lengi Lenga and Bimi Ombale and the more strident tones of leader Nyoka Longo.
In 1988, Zaiko split up into two competing bands, Yogo remaining with Nyoka Longo and the late Matima Mpiossa and at odds with his old mate Lengi Lenga, who died last year. An excellent album they had recorded together fell by the wayside as the two groups became instant adversaries.
Yogo was once sitting in a minibus taxi when his old colleague stepped in. They sat opposite each other all the way into town without speaking, something that always saddened Yogo, who was not one to make enemies. As well as a fine, soulful singer, Yogo was a sensitive composer, whose bluesy songs would explode into the most exciting dance music.
He had too many compositions in his song book to fit into the repertoire of a 25-piece band, even recording three or four albums a year, so he regularly released solo albums outside his work with Zaiko. This freelancing led to suspension, although he was chef d’orchestre , and he missed out on Zaiko’s 1991 UK tour.
In Kinshasa he reformed Etumba na Ngwaka with mixed success, but he was also invited by many artists to sing on their albums, often recorded in Europe. One week after returning to Kinshasa from the US, where he had been preparing for a tour in September, he collapsed with heart problems. He was married twice and is survived by several children.
Dindo (Théophile) Djangi Yogo, musician, born December 30 1955; died August 23 2000
Dindo Yogo Albums
- Plus d’amour
- Dindo Yogo
- Willo mondo & La congolaise
- La Vie Est Heureuse Quand On Se Sent Aimer – Ep
- Soo-Wa
- Productions Mayala Présente Dindo Yogo
- Pour un nouveau départ (Le duo père et fils)
- Willo mondo et la congolaise
- D’Amour
- Apres Leurs Tournées De Tokyo – Paris – Kinshasa
- Groupe Ngwaka Aye
- Succès des années 70, vol. 1
- Dindo Yogo & Klay
- Succès des années 70, vol.
Dindo Yogo Song
- Africa
- Z, Rhapsodie
- Travaillons
- Soo Wa
- Siyo Siyo
- Papy Luntala
- Maladie de Coeur
- Lola Muana
- Je’tamie
- Bosana Boum’s
- Eyale Plus
- Eyale Pablo
- Theodore
- Racine Ya Chance
- Oui Ou Non
- Mendiant d’Amour
- Maman Longonya
- Lorenzo
- Libreville
- Ingrattitude
- I Love You
- + d’Amour
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Dindo Yogo left Zaïko to embark on a solo career
1991-2000
In 1991 Dindo Yogo left Zaïko to embark on a solo career that would last until his death. He has said that his reasons for leaving Zaïko were due to the jealousy that the other musicians felt following the success of his solo projects recorded whilst still part of the group. Dindo had originally requested a formal written contract with Zaïko allowing him the freedom to compose and release his own material. The agreement was never ratified in print and it was only after achieving his solo successes that Zaïko then started pressurising him to sign a limiting contract.
After leaving the group, albeit on fairly friendly terms, he put together a Kinshasa group of mostly unknown musicians that he called Nguaka Ayé, and on 10 August 1991 they performed their first concert. The group was frequently augmented by older colleagues from the original Etumba na Nguaka but Dindo was financially unable to sustain the group. Like most band leaders Dindo would travel to Europe to record his discs using European based musicians. He would then return to Kinshasa where he could perform the material live with his Nguaka Ayé musicians.
It was during his frequent visits to Europe that he became an almost automatic choice as a guest vocalist by many artists recording their own sessions. Dindo Yogo, through the 1990s, became one of the kings of the “Nzong-zing”, the super-session or impromptu performance.
In some quarters he was accused of prostituting his voice and certainly some of the recordings he contributed to were by unknown and indifferent artists. He was merely trying to earn an honest living and, he claimed, gain more musical experience, by doing what he was best at.
His solo albums subsequent to leaving Zaïko Langa Langa represent some of the best Congolese music of the 1990s. In fact the group Nguaka Ayé, with its own dance rhythm “Ngebu Ngebu”, deserved far greater success than they achieved.
The first album, Ngwaka Ayé, Ayé Lisusu! ,released on vinyl and cd, was recorded in Paris and providing the backing vocals are Lukombo Djaffar from Tabu Ley’s Afrisa who, like Dindo, had become a popular session singer, and the top Congolese female singer Déesse Mukangi. Déesse, at the time, had just left Bozi Boziana’s group Anti-Choc and was launching her own solo career as well as singing backup on many of the best studio sessions of the time.
Guitar soloists were old colleagues Popolipo and Huit Kilos and although the session is washed with synthesizer and drum programming there is a fresh and uncluttered approach to the music that makes this release an absolute joy to hear.
The follow up, Groupe Ngwaka Ayé , was a Kinshasa recording, less produced but equally compelling, and more representative of how Dindo’s group played live. This cd also includes a great re-recording of “Lola Muana”.
Moni Mambu caught Dindo treading water, with too much keyboard, probably because he was struggling to support the band and had already lost most of his musicians.
25 ans de carrière was produced with a fresh injection of production money and in addition to some fine new tunes Dindo took the opportunity of celebrating his quarter century in the business by re-recording “Mokili Echanger”. His new lyric explains how he has returned to the “avenue of life” following his original intention to stay with Zaïko until the end of his career.
He confirms that one can never be sure what developments will take place in this life. This, of course, was a reference not only to his own life but also to the dramatically developing situation taking place as Zaïre headed toward democratisation.
Despite the indisputable artistic quality of Dindo’s post-Zaïko recordings he was, he openly admitted, struggling financially, thereby explaining his necessity to work as a session singer on other peoples’ recordings. His next release was entitled Soo Wa, which in the Mongo language means “we are dying”, a reference to the general disorganised state of the Congolese music business rather than any kind of physical death.
The excellent final two releases, Pour un nouveau depart and Duo du Tonnerre were both recorded with his son, Lola. Lola Dindo had been developing his voice in an identical style to his father and it was quite a pleasant surprise to hear the two together, one mature “broken” voice duetting with a delightful, barely post-adolescent “broken” voice.
Pour un nouveau depart was recorded in Brazzaville with the remnants of the Nguaka Aye musicians and includes a re-cut of “Sina Nduku”, one of Dindo’s Viva la Musica hits. The follow up, “ Duo du Tonnerre” caught father and son back in Paris where they once again re-recorded “Sina Nduku” and also yet another excellent version of “Mokili Echanger”.
At one time in the mid-nineties it was thought that Dindo would join his former Viva la Musica colleague King Kester Emeneya in Victoria Eleison. In fact the last two times I saw Dindo perform were as a guest during Victoria Eleison concerts. I also saw him guesting with Reddy Amisi and at one point, when Reddy was at the height of his popularity, I wondered if they might eventually team up as a duo; especially since their voices had worked so well together when Dindo had guested on Reddy’s Prudence and Ziggy releases.
Then in 1995 at the big Zaïko Langa Langa 25th Anniversary performance in Paris Dindo performed a guest slot and was actually requested on stage by the Zaïko animateur if he would consider re-joining the group. Dindo remained independent until the end: Perhaps musicians of his quality are destined to lead their own group rather than being a mere member of a chorus.