Biography
Senegal’s mbalax dance rhythms gained broader reach among Western audiences through Cheikh Lô, born Cheikh N'Digel Lô. By tempering the genre’s sharper contours and folding in salsa, Zairian/Congolese rhumba, folk, and jazz touches, he forged a melodic, instantly memorable brand of pop. Roots World described the effect by writing "complemented by the acoustic guitar, exploding tama, and free-falling electric bass, Lô's voice has a rounded sweetness with poetic hills and valleys," while Real Groove Magazine observed, "with its enigmatic complexity and so non 4/4 beat, mbalax has had difficulty outside West Africa. Where even N'Dour's overdone attempts to counter this problem have failed, [Lô] has succeeded. His acoustic approach gives a magic mbalax music that my friends can appreciate." Cora Correction offered a parallel assessment, writing, "West Africa has produced the continent's most powerful singers and Lô easily earns a high position in the pantheon."
Born in the modest settlement of Bobo-Dioulasso near Senegal’s frontier with Mali to a prosperous jeweler, Lô grew up fluent in Bambara, Wolof, and French. As a child he developed a passion for music and acquired drum and guitar skills without formal instruction. In 1976 he joined the regional ensemble Orchestra Volta Jazz as a percussionist and stayed until relocating to Dakar in 1980.
Once in the capital, Lô immersed himself in the local scene. Following a three-year period drumming for the progressive singer Ouza, he entered the house band at the Hotel Savana in 1984; although his tenure lasted little more than a year, it introduced him to an international array of pop influences.
After emigrating to France in 1985, Lô worked as a session drummer in Paris. He soon acquired his first guitar and began composing original material. A project launched in 1987 with Ivoirean and French musicians collapsed before completion, yet his debut solo effort, Doxandeme (Immigrants), appeared on cassette in 1990. Despite earning a Nouveau Talent award, the recording fell short of his creative aims; a subsequent album was abandoned, and he maintained a low profile for the next four years.
In 1995 Lô persuaded Youssou N'Dour, whom he had first encountered in 1989 while contributing to an album by the traditional Wolof griot singer N'diaga M'baye, to produce a new record. The resulting Ne La Thiass appeared on N'Dour’s Jololi imprint shortly before Lô participated in the label’s multi-artist Revue tour in November 1996. He promoted the album further through a European trek with his eight-piece band N'Diguel in April 1997. That same year he received Best Newcomer and Kora All-American honors in South Africa. Exposure in the United States grew when he appeared as a featured artist on the Africa Fete bill in 1998. The following year Senegal’s president bestowed the Ordre National de Merite de Leon upon him. Lô resumed recording with Bambay Gueej in 2000; the title, translating as “bamba, ocean of peace,” was co-produced by Nick Gold and Youssou N'Dour. Lamp Fall followed in 2006 on Nonesuch Records.
Born in the modest settlement of Bobo-Dioulasso near Senegal’s frontier with Mali to a prosperous jeweler, Lô grew up fluent in Bambara, Wolof, and French. As a child he developed a passion for music and acquired drum and guitar skills without formal instruction. In 1976 he joined the regional ensemble Orchestra Volta Jazz as a percussionist and stayed until relocating to Dakar in 1980.
Once in the capital, Lô immersed himself in the local scene. Following a three-year period drumming for the progressive singer Ouza, he entered the house band at the Hotel Savana in 1984; although his tenure lasted little more than a year, it introduced him to an international array of pop influences.
After emigrating to France in 1985, Lô worked as a session drummer in Paris. He soon acquired his first guitar and began composing original material. A project launched in 1987 with Ivoirean and French musicians collapsed before completion, yet his debut solo effort, Doxandeme (Immigrants), appeared on cassette in 1990. Despite earning a Nouveau Talent award, the recording fell short of his creative aims; a subsequent album was abandoned, and he maintained a low profile for the next four years.
In 1995 Lô persuaded Youssou N'Dour, whom he had first encountered in 1989 while contributing to an album by the traditional Wolof griot singer N'diaga M'baye, to produce a new record. The resulting Ne La Thiass appeared on N'Dour’s Jololi imprint shortly before Lô participated in the label’s multi-artist Revue tour in November 1996. He promoted the album further through a European trek with his eight-piece band N'Diguel in April 1997. That same year he received Best Newcomer and Kora All-American honors in South Africa. Exposure in the United States grew when he appeared as a featured artist on the Africa Fete bill in 1998. The following year Senegal’s president bestowed the Ordre National de Merite de Leon upon him. Lô resumed recording with Bambay Gueej in 2000; the title, translating as “bamba, ocean of peace,” was co-produced by Nick Gold and Youssou N'Dour. Lamp Fall followed in 2006 on Nonesuch Records.
Albums
Singles
