Sonar Senghor

Born into an aristocratic family in Senegal, Sonar Senghor went to France to study in 1946, and was disowned by his father after declaring his intentions to stop studying law and pursue a career in the theater. With his fellow African emigres Melo Kane and Moka Bock, he formed a troupe to perform the native dances and songs of Africa, afterwards being joined by two other African students, Fara Diagne and Tio Tio Basse. The group toured Europe in the 1950s and recorded an album, Lost Africa, which incorporated rhythms and tribal songs from all over West Africa. They were among the first performers to expose this music to European culture, and Lost Africa, while sounding a bit rawer than later recordings of African tribal music, is if anything all the more attractive for that.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo