Franco Luambo Makiadi

François Luambo Luanzo Makiadi (6 July 1938 – 12 October 1989) was a major figure in 20th-century Congolese music, and African music in general. He is widely referred to as Franco Luambo or, simply, Franco. Known for his mastery of rumba, he was nicknamed the "Sorcerer of the Guitar" for his seemingly effortless fluid playing. As a founder of the seminal group OK Jazz, he is counted as one of the originators of the modern Congolese sound.

Biography

He was born in 1938 in what was then the Belgian Congo. His mother had a market stall in Ngiri-Ngiri, and he played harmonica and other instruments to help attract customers.

In 1955 Franco formed a band that debuted in the OK Bar. The following year the band was renamed OK Jazz in honour of the place it had begun. And then, another change to Tout Puissant O.K. Jazz (T.P.O.K. Jazz) (which means The Almighty O.K. Jazz)

Franco only toured the USA on one occasion, in 1983.

He died in 1989, resulting in four days of national mourning in Zaire.