Mariama

Nigerian singer Nico Mbarga was born in 1 January 1950 in Abakaliki, which is the capitol of Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria. His father hails form Cameroon and played the sanza. His mother is from Nigeria. He spent his youth in Ikom, which is on the border to Cameroon.  This is where he played on a home-made xylophone. He also played the conga, drums, and electric guitar in school bands. He flees to Cameroon, where he is able to fullfill his musical ambitions, after the Biafra war broke out in 1967. There he is influenced by Congolese music. He returns to Nigeria after the civil war ends in 1970, where he forms his band the Rocafill Jazz in Onitsha.

Prince Nico often doesn’t just sing in his songs, but he also talks, all of which is in comprehensible Pidgin English.

His voice can also be heard speaking in an interview by Ann Bolsover in 1980, during his Prince Nico England tour. This interview was broadcast on 28 January 1982 on Radio Netherlands Worldwide in their programme serie ‘Afroscene’. There are also excerpts from Prince Nico’s greatest hits in this interview, such as Sweet Mother, Good Father, Happy Birthday, Polygamie and Love and Unity for Africa.

Prins Nico’s lyrics are often about his own struggles, or personal struggles in general.  The son Oh! Death is about Prince Nico himself dying.

In 1997, which is 21 years later, Rocafil Jazz would tour through America. While collecting the visa in his car, Nico Mbarga ran out of petrol. In those days, it was common in the rich ‘oil country’ of Nigeria for there to be no petrol available. He then continues his journey on a motorcycle-taxi, which gets hit by a car. Nico crashed his head on the street and a few weeks later, on 24 June 1997 while in hospital, he passed away from his injuries. He was 47 years old.

You can read a lot of interesting information about him in Prince Nico Mbarga.

Special thanks to Frits Polanen ann Barbera Schuil, for making their African LPs available to us.

Playlist:

1. Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz: Rocafil, LP Music Line, 1976, DECCA 278.154 (ASALPS 8)
2. Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz: Music Line, LP Music Line, 1976, DECCA 278.154 (ASALPS 8)
3. Afroscene-Prince-Nico-Mbarga, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 1982
4. Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz: No die no rest, LP No die no rest, 1981, Rogers All Stars RAS 018 / SONODISC SD 14
5. Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz: Oh! Death, LP Music Line, 1976, DECCA 278.154 (ASALPS 8)
6. Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz: Simple truth, LP Experience 001, 1981, Rogers All Stars RAS 40 / SONODISC SD14

All texts and music by Prince Nico Mbarga.