Kanda Bongo Man

First solo albums, Iyole in 1981 and Djessy in 1982, were hits. He is known for the structural changes he implemented to soukous music. The previous approach was to sing several verses and have one guitar solo at the end of the song. Man revolutionized soukous by encouraging guitar solos after every verse and even sometimes at the beginning of the song. His form of soukous gave birth to the kwassa kwassa dance rhythm, where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. Like many African rumba and soukous musicians before him, Kanda Bongo Man also had an entourage of musicians. Many of his musicians later moved on to start their own solo careers. Most notable of these was Diblo Dibala, known as "Machine Gun", who was a vital part of Kanda Bongo Man's line-up on several albums, playing guitar on both Kwasa Kwasa and Amour Fou. Man still tours in Europe and the United States. In July 2005, he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in Cornwall. He has performed several times at the Africa Oyé Festival in Liverpool, most recently in June 2022.

• Name — Kanda Bongo Man • Birth Name — Bongo Kanda • Born — 1955 • Birthplace — Inongo, Belgian Congo (present-day Democratic Republic of Congo) • Genre — Soukous, kwassa kwassa music • Occupation — Singer, musician • Instrument — Vocals, guitar • Years Active — 1973–present • Label — Bongo Man