Wawali Bonane was born in Banningville (now Bandundu), in the Democratic Republic Of Congo (ex-Zaire). He was weaned on the sounds and rhythms of the Bandundu region. In 1966, Wawali dropped out of school with friend and partner Pepe Kalle, now one of Congo's top stars, to form their first band, Les Monkoy. In 1974, Wawali was invited by superstar Tabu Ley Rochereau to join his band, Afrisa International. Throughout his career Wawali has been creating hybrid music known as soukous, a popular style that first came to prominence in the 1950's and combines elements of Cuban rhumba and Antillean music with Congolese aesthetics.
Links To Peel
Peel was such a fan of Wawali's album Wawali Bonané Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol. 1 that he nominated it in his Top 20 Albums of all time for the Guardian newspaper in 1997. In 1995, Peel became quite worked up after hearing that Wawali had stopped making music, stating on his 26 August 1995 (BFBS) show that he would prefer listening to new material from the soukous singer more than anything more from U2.
Shows Played
Wawali Bonané Bayaya
- 1992
- 26 September 1992: Fatoumata
- 02 October 1992: Bayaya (album - Wawali Bonane) Masiste
- 02 October 1992: Yambi Yambi (album - Wawali Bonane) Masiste
- 03 October 1992: Fati Mata (album - Wawali Bonane) Masiste
- 04 October 1992 (BFBS): Fatoumata (album - Wawali Bonané Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol 1)
- 04 October 1992 (BFBS): Titi-Germa (album - Wawali Bonané Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol 1)
- 05 October 1992 (BBC World Service): Fatoumata (LP - Wawali Bonané Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol. 1) Maciste
- 09 October 1992: 'Yo Yo Ba (LP-eponymous)' (Maciste Productions)
- 11 October 1992 (BFBS): Methode (LP - Wawali Bonane) Maciste
- 18 October 1992 (BFBS): Bayaya (LP - Wawali Bonane) Maciste
- 23 October 1992: 'Methode (LP-eponymous)' (Maciste Production)
- 31 October 1992: Bayaya (CD - ) Massiste Production
- 01 November 1992 (BFBS): Bayaya (LP - Wawali Bonane) Maciste
- 14 November 1992: Bayaya (LP - Wawali Bonane) Maciste
- 29 November 1992 (BFBS): Bayaya (CD - Wawali Bonane) Maciste
- 18 December 1992: 'Fatoumata (LP-Wawali Bonane)' (Maciste) (JP: 'If I live to be 100, which is frankly pretty unlikely, I shall never tire of that.')
- 20 December 1992 (BFBS): Titi-Germa (LP - Enzenzé) Maciste Productions
- 25 December 1992: 'Bayaya (LP-Wawali Bonane Et Generation Soukouss)' (Maciste Productions)
- 1993
- 07 April 1993 (John Peel Is Jakki Brambles): Bayaya (LP - Wawali Bonané Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol. 1) Maciste
- 04 June 1993: ‘Ba Kulutu (CD – The Second Breath)’ Sonodisc
- 12 June 1993 (BFBS): Ba Kulutu
- 22 October 1993: 'Fatoumata (LP-Wawali Bonane)' (Maciste)
- Peel Out In The States (Program 01): Bayaya (LP - Wawali Bonane) Maciste
- 1995
- 03 March 1995: Fatoumata (album - Enzenzé) Maciste Productions
- 11 March 1995 (BFBS): 'Fatoumata (LP-Enzenzé)' (Maciste Productions)
- 19 August 1995: Bayaya (LP - Enzenzé) Maciste Productions
- 26 August 1995 (BFBS): Fatoumata
- 1996
- 13 July 1996: Titi-Germa (LP – Enzenze)’ Maciste
- 21 December 1996: 'Fatoumata (LP-Wawali Bonane)' (Maciste)
- 1997
- 27 August 1997: Bayaya
- 11 September 1997 (BFBS): 'Bayaya (LP-Wawali Bonane)' (Maciste Productions) (JP: 'If I was to make a list of my 10 favourite tracks of all time, I rather suspect that that would be in there.')
- 18 September 1997 (BFBS): 'Bayaya (LP-Wawali Bonané Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol. 1)' (Maciste Productions)
- 2000
- 06 April 2000: 'Bayaya (LP-Wawali Bonane)' (Maciste Productions)
- 2001
- 11 November 2001 (BBC World Service): Bayaya (album - Wawali Bonané Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol. 1) Maciste Productions
- 15 November 2001 (Radio Eins): Bayaya (album - Wawali Bonane Et Generation Soukouss Enzenzé Vol. 1) Maciste Productions
- 2002
- 03 December 2002: 'Bayaya (LP-Enzenzé)' (Melodie)
- 11 December 2002 (Radio Mafia): Bayaya
- 12 December 2002 (Radio Mafia): Bayaya
- 12 December 2002 (Radio Eins): Bayaya (album - Enzenzé) Melodie
- 2003
- 19 June 2003: 'Wumba Wumba (LP- Safarini Music of African Immigrants In Transit)' (Smithsonian Folkways)
