African Fiesta
Biography
L'Orchestra African Fiesta, often known simply as African Fiesta, was a Congolese soukous group started by Tabu Ley Rochereau and Dr. Nico Kasanda in 1963.
Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico elevated African Fiesta to the forefront of Congolese dance music during the 1960s. African Fiesta represented the vision of Tabu Ley, who had spent the previous four years with the premier Congolese band African Jazz.
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Tension between Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico led to a split in 1965 with Tabu Ley renaming the band African Fiesta National and Dr. Nico forming African Fiesta Sukisa.
Tabu Ley and African Fiesta National continued to dominate the Congo's musical scene. By 1970, their records routinely sold in the millions. African Fiesta National served as a breeding ground for such future African music stars as vocalist Sam Mangwana.
In 1970, Tabu Ley formed Orchestre Afrisa International.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.