Kenyan Pop Music: Articles

KENYA: The Life and Times of Kenyan Pop

[Rough Guide to World Music Image] This is a chapter I wrote for The Rough Guide to World Music. It covers the history of Kenyan pop, the major genres, names, events up to it's publication date in 2006.

View The Rough Guide to World Music : Volume 1 on Amazon.com

Passings: Kenyan Musicians

Daudi Kabaka: King of the Kenyan Twist

The renowned musician of the 60s and 70s died on November 26, 2001. Doug Paterson provided a brief biography of the man and his music.

Fadhili William: A Remembrance

The man who brought us the song Malaika passed away on 11 February, 2001. His career in music is reviewed.

Twahir Mohamed: Brilliant Saxophonist, Band Leader, Arranger

One of the men in the background behind Samba Mapangala but also an innovative band leader and saxophone virtuoso. He passed away on 29 January, 2004.

Trends in Kenyan Popular Music
Benga, Swahili pop, Congolese, and more.

The Evolving Kenyan Music Scene, 2006.

Jim Curupt's: Untold Facts about Benga Music.

A Mid-Eighties Account of Kenyan Popular Music

These are a pair of articles I wrote for Africa Beat (London) in 1986/87:

Kenyan Pop: The Business of Pleasure, Pt.1 considers the economics of the music business in Kenya circa 1986.

Kenyan Pop: The Business of Pleasure, Pt.2 looks at the up and coming bands of the time.

Articles that review Kenyan Popular Music