Manu Dibango Biography
From Douala, French Cameroon, Manu Dibango was a Cameroonian musician and songwriter who played saxophone and vibraphone.
Dibango died on 24 March 2020, from COVID-19.
Manu Dibango Age
At the time of his death, Dibango was 86 years old. He was born on December 12, 1933, in Douala, French Cameroon.
Manu Dibango Parents
Dibango was the son of Michel Manfred N’Djoké Dibango. His father was a civil servant. His mother was a fashion designer. At the time his parents met, her mother was running a small business.
Dibango’s parents were from different ethnic groups. His mother belonged to the Duala ethnic group and his father was from the Yabassi. Their union was with some disdain.
In Cameroon, a child’s ethnicity is dictated by their father. However, Dibango, in his autobiography, Three Kilos of Coffee, wrote that he had “never been able to identify completely with either of [his] parents.”
Dibango had a stepbrother from his father’s previous marriage.
Manu Dibango Wife
There is no information regarding Dibango’s wife although it was known that he was married. He kept his family life away from the public.
Children
Dibango had three children. Their names are Georgia Dibango, Marva Dibango, and Michel Dibango.
Manu Dibango Net Worth
Dibango had an estimated net worth of around $5 million.
Manu Dibango Music
Dibango was a member of the seminal Congolese rumba group, African Jazz. In the UK, he gained a huge following with a disco hit called “Big Blow”, originally released in 1976 and re-mixed as a 12″ single in 1978 on Island Records. He recorded the album CubAfrica in 1998, with Cuban artist Eliades Ochoa.
Dibango has collaborated with many musicians including; Fania All Stars, Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, King Sunny Adé, Don Cherry, and Sly and Robbie.
Manu Dibango Style
Dibango developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian music.
Manu Dibango Death
Dibango died on 24 March 2020 of COVID-19, at the age of 86, at a hospital in the French region. He contracted the virus one week prior to his death.
His death was announced in a statement on his official Facebook page. As written on the statement, his funeral will take place in “strict privacy.” They urged people to send condolences by email and adding that a tribute will be arranged “when possible”.
Manu Dibango Albums
- Manu Dibango (1968)
- Saxy Party (1969)
- O Boso (1971) London/PolyGram Records
- Soma Loba (1971)
- Soul Makossa (1972) Fiesta Records (France), London Records
- (UK and Canada), Atlantic Records (US)
- African Voodoo (1972)
- Africadelic (1973)
- Blue Elephant (1973)
- Makossa Man (1974) Atlantic Records released as Pêpê Soup on Decca Records
- African Funk (1974)
- Makossa Music (1975) Creole Records, licensed from Société Française du Son
- African Rhythm Machine (1975)
- Countdown at Kusini O.S.T. (1975) D.S.T. Telecommunications, Inc.
- Manu 76 (1976) Decca/PolyGram Records
- Super Kumba (1976) Decca/PolyGram Records
- The World of Manu Dibango (1976) Decca Records
- Ceddo O.S.T (1977) Fiesta Records
- L’Herbe Sauvage O.S.T. (1977) Fiesta Records
- Disque D’Or (1977)
- A l’Olympia (1978) Fiesta Records – a live double album
- Anniversaire Au Pays (1978) Fiesta Records
- Afrovision (1978) Mango/Island/PolyGram Records
- Sun Explosion (1978) Decca/PolyGram Records
- Le Prix De La Liberte (1978) Fiesta Records
- Big Blow (1978) Derby Records – re-issue of Afrovision with a
- track from L’Herbe Sauvage OST and the extended single
- version of the song Soul Makossa
- Gone Clear (1979) Mango/Island/PolyGram Records
- Ses Plus Grands Succes (1979)
- Home Made (1979) African Records
- Ambassador (1981) Mango/Island/PolyGram Records
- Waka Juju (1982) Polydor/PolyGram Records
- Mboa (1982) Sonodisc/Afrovision
- Soft And Sweet (1983) Garima Records
- Deliverance (1983) AfroVision Records
- Surtension (1984)
- Electric Africa (1985) Celluloid
- Afrijazzy (1986) Enemy Records
- Négropolitaines, Vol.1 (1989)
- Deliverance (1989) Afro Rhythmes
- Happy Feeling (1989) Stern’s
- Rasta Souvenir (1989) Disque Esperance – a reissue of Gone
- Clear & Ambassador (compilation)
- Polysonik (1991)
- Bao Bao (1992)
- Negropolitaines, Vol.2 (1992)
- Autoportrait (1992)
- Live ’91 (1994) Stern’s Music
- Wakafrika (1994) Fnac Music/Giant/Warner Bros. Records
- Lamastabastani (1996) Musicrama
- Sax & Spirituals (1996)
- Papa Groove: Live ’96 (1996)
- African Soul – The Very Best Of Manu Dibango (1997)
- Mercury (compilation)
- Manu Safari (1998)
- CubAfrica (Cuarteto Patria with Eliades Ochoa) (1998)
- Mboa’ Su – Kamer Feelin’ (1999)
- Collection Legende (1999)
- Anthology (2000) (compilation)
- The Very Best of Manu Dibango: Afrosouljazz From The
- Original Makossa Man (2000) (compilation)
- Kamer Feelin’ (2001)
- B Sides (2002)
- Dance With Manu Dibango (2002)
- Africadelic: The Very Best Of Manu Dibango (2003) (compilation)
- From Africa (2003) Blue Moon
- Lion of Africa (2007) – live album including bonus DVD
- African Woodoo (2008) from tracks recorded between 1971 and 1975 for cinema, TV, and advertising.
- Choc’n’Soul (2010) features Sly and Robbie
- Afro Funk (2010)
- Afro Soul Machine (2011) (compilation)
- Past Present Future (2011) features “Soul Makossa 2.0” with vocals performed by Wayne Beckford
- Ballad Emotion (2011) (mostly jazz standards)
- Africa Boogie (2013)
- Aloko Party (2013)
- Lagos Go Slow (2013)
- Balade En Saxo (2013