Franco (b. L'Okanga La Ndju Pene Luambo Makiadi, Sona-Bata, Zaire, 1938-1989).

Singer, composer, guitarist and bandleader, Franco was beyond doubt Africa's most popular and influential musician. A legend in his own lifetime, he led TPOK Jazz for over 30 years releasing hundreds of 45 rpms and well over 100 LPs.

His career started at the age of 12 when he joined his first 'master', Ebengo Dewayon, as solo guitarist in the group Watam. In 1953 he recorded for the first time with Watam making his first solo record 'Bolingo Na Ngai Na Beatrice' on the Loningisa label. This recording made him a celebrity in Kinshasa and he was persuaded by his growing popularity to perform at live shows.

Two years later, on 6 June 1956, OK Jazz was born - a ten-piece rumba outfit led by Franco, De La Lune and Essous. In 1957 the band moved temporarily to Brazzaville, returning to Kinshasa the following year. However, on his return, Franco fell foul of the law and was sentenced to jail for a motoring offence. On his release, Franco quickly re-established his reputation as 'The Sorcerer of the Guitar'. Indeed, so influential was his guitar playing that by the end of the decade two distinct schools of guitar playing had emerged, one led by Franco and the other by Dr Nico of African Jazz. Many early works by Franco are still available on the series of compilations entitled Authenticite'.

Throughout the 1960s Franco and OK Jazz toured regularly and recorded prolifically, maintaining a clear musical direction despite numerous changes in personnel. Indeed, a list of OK Jazz graduates reads like a Who's Who of Zairean music and would include Vicky, Sam Mangwana, Youlou Mabiala, Wuta May, Mose Se Sengo (Fan Fan) Josky, Michelino, Dalienst, Essous, Papa Noel Mayaula and so on. In 1976 Franco celebrated two decades at the top with the double album 20th Anniversaire. By this time, the band could fill dance halls anywhere in Africa and proved the point with a 1978 African tour. By this time OK Jazz had grown to a 23-piece orchestra featuring four horns, four guitars, bass, percussion and a bevy of frontline vocalists. The sound of this magnificent orchestra in full flight can perhaps best be appreciated on the 1980 double album 24th Anniversaire.

The Early Seventies

Come the 1970s , Franco and his TPOK Jazz had firmly established themselves as Africa's premier singing group. The band was now a huge money spinner and was staging concerts all over Africa including such unlikely venues as Sudan and Chad. It now included an array of glittering stars as Vicky , Simaro , Youlou Mabiala as well as solo guitarist Mose Fan Fan.

Franco further augmented the strength of the band by recruiting composer/vocalist Sam Mangwana from Afrisa. The recruitment of Mangwana from Afrisa was considered a major coup by music fans and signalled the beginning of an intense animosity between both members and staunch supporters of rival bands Afrisa and TPOK Jazz. This animosity was further deepened as Franco constantly poached musicians from Afrisa up until the late 80s.

In early 1970 Franco had to part ways with Vicky Longomba who was then acting as Co-president of the band. Vicky then founded ochestre Lovy but never regained the success and popularity he enjoyed while at TPOK Jazz. Mose Fan Fan , the bands flambuoyant solo guitarist felt impeded within the Ok Jazz system and quit the band along with vocalist Youlou Mabiala. . Together they formed a band called Orchestre Somo Somo. Later they split, forming two versions of Somo Somo. Youlou stayed in Kinshasa while Fan Fan travelled to East Africa and later to Europe. Later in the 80s Fan Fan became a prominent member of fearsome foursome known as Quatre Etoiles , which produced sevral hits in the mid 80s.

Soon after the departure of Fan Fan and Youlou, Tshongo Bavon Marie Marie who was Franco's only brother died in a road accident. Franco was grief stricken to the point that He semi-retired from music for a long period. The band hit upon rough times as record sales slumped and concerts were sparsely attended.

Upon his return , he recorded several songs in memory of Bavon. He then began rebuilding the band. The rebuilding of OK Jazz coincided with the restructuring of Congo by Marshall Mobutu Sese Seko under the program of 'La Aunthenticite'. The name of the country was changed from Congo-Kinshasa to Zaire. All towns , rivers lakes etc and other geographical features bearing European names were re-named with African names. The people of Zaire were now required to abandon European names and adopt African ones.Franco became L'Okanga La Ndju Pene Luambo Makiadi.He then set upon a recruitment drive that resulted in several talented musicians joining the band. The list included vocalists Mayaula Mayoni, as well as guitarists ,Mpundi Decca , Gege Mangaya, Michelino and Dizzy Madjeku and Saxophonist Empopo Loway.

Franco then appointed Lutumba Simaro as the chef d'ochestre.

Thanks to La Aunthenticite, Franco's interest in traditional African forms deepened with songs like Kinzonzi Ki tata Mbemba( the wisdom of old Mbemba).At the same time he revealed a gentler side with songs like Boma l'heure with its womens chorus. Mangwana made his presence felt with hits like Luka Mobali Moko.

In 1973 Franco released what proved to be one of his biggest hits, AZDA.This was a song in praise of the local Volkswagen dealership. That same year so the arrival of vocalist Josky Kiambukuta Londa whom Franco recruited from Ochestre Continentale. Josky was to become one of the bands most popular if not the most popular singer and composer.

1974 saw the return of Youlou Mabiala to the fold. The following year ,Sam Mangwana , true to his acronym "La pigeon Voyageur' , left the band to establish a solo career in Cote'd Ivoire. The gap he left was filled by Pepe Ndombe Opetum , recruited from rival band Afrisa International as was hornsman Empopo Loway.

In 1975 Franco released yet another classic hit Bomba bomba mabe which was a love song inspired by a certain woman Marie Josephine with whom Franco had a long romantic relationship. The album also featured the song Libala ya bana na bana composed by Lola Checain. Later that year , Simaro caught the imagination of the Congolese public with his song Radio Trottoir which roughly translates to The grapevine (he said , she said ....). In the song , Simaro complains about constant gossipping and speculation among people , and the problems it creates.

As a social satirist and commentator of the highest order, Franco has occasionally run into trouble with his lyrics, most notably in 1978 when he was imprisoned for two months for his songs 'Helene' and 'Jackie'. However, later the same year he was decorated by President Mobutu for his contribution to the development of Zaire's musical heritage. Two years later, he received the highest accolade of all when he was dubbed 'Le Grand Maitre' of Zairean music, only the second musician to be so honoured. Franco entered the 1980s at the peak of his powers, astounding new fans with his power and eloquence while retaining the fanatical following built up during the previous quarter of a century. In 1980 he established his own record labels - Edipop, CHOC and Le Passeport under the umbrella of his holding company, African Sun Music. He also began to spend more time in Brussels, although rumours of his exile from Zaire were exaggerated. In 1983 he made an attempt to crack the international market with tours of Europe and the USA. He also established a second band to support him on his international travels. Now on the verge of a major international breakthrough, a multimillionaire and owner of a hotel-nightclub in Kinshasa, Franco is the epitome of a successful African musician. He has been described as 'The Balzac of African music' and intends to continue playing beyond the year 2,000

The Late Eighties

At the beginning of 1987, Franco recorded a song which is considered the most intense 15 minutes ever recorded. The song Attention La Sida (beware of Aids) was sung mainly in French in order to reach a wider audience. Amid heavy drums and almost eerie guitars ,Franco thundered out an emotional message ,talking about the disease ,imploring mankind to be more careful in their relationships ,while urging governments to take further steps to fight the epidemic. Even for those who could understand what was being said, Franco's emotional, prophet like outburst sent shivers running through their spines.

In August of that year Franco and TPOK Jazz was among the several musicians invited to perform in the 4th All Africa games concert , the biggest concert in Kenya's music history. The concert featured musicians from All over Africa including Cameroun's Sam fan Thomas and Zambian songbird Anna Mwale.

Eight other albums were released by the band that year, one of which was La response de Mario , Mario's response to the accusations placed on him by Franco. Others included Ekaba Kaba , a song about a certain tightwad businessman who pays his employees meagre wages while laying them off the job at a whim in order to maximize his profits. In the album Les On dit , Franco introduced two female vocalists , Nana Akumu and Baniel Bambo, the latter of whom had defected over form Afrisa much to Tabu Ley's bewilderement. The year ended with the riveting L' Animation non stop which featured a rendition of some of the bands earlier hits played to modern instrumentals and better recording.

By 1988 Franco had finally managed to convince Josky and Dalienst to return to the fold. Dalienst celebrated his return with the album Franco presente Ntessa Dalienst which featured Mamie Zou and Dodo. Josky followed this up with his own album which featured the extremely popular hit Mata-Kita-bloque (get up,get down,Jam). The album also featured a rendition of his early 80s hit Tokabola sentiment.By now Franco's health was already failing him. Rumours about his health abounded and spread like wildfire, fuelled by the fact that Franco now rarely appeared in public and when he appeared in concert, He only played at 20 minute intervals. Meanwhile franco kept everyone in the dark about the nature of his illness , claiming that doctors had been unable to diagnose his illness. He re-converted back to catholiscim from Islam and was once again baptised Francois Luambo Makiadi.

The rest of the TPOK jazz band members continued to record. In November the band released the album Couerr Artificiel featuring 4 compositions by Lutumba Simaro, among the songs in that album was Mangasa sung by Josky , Madilu and De Lugendo. Even though the band was still going strong, their popularity was plumetting in large part due to the emergence of faster more up-tempo dance styles such as Kwasa-kwasa and Soukous which were perpertrated by among others Pepe Kalle , Kanda Bongo-man and Aurlus Mabele. The emergence of this faster more diluted dance styles which all but got rid of the wind section and emphasised the solo guitar as well as drums saw most Lingala fans gravitate away from TPOK Jazz ,Afrisa and other bands which were now referred to as old school.

By 1989, TP OK Jazz was in serious turmoil. Leading band members such as Madilu and Josky decided to pursue projects outside the band infrastructure. Othere like Lugendo, Decca and Dizzy left the band and returned to Kinshasa to pursue other opportunities. Later that year, Franco once again teamed up with Sam Mangwana to release what turned out to be Franco's last recording. This album's label was Forever which was an eerie premonition of Franco's impending death. The album sleeve showed an upsetting picture of Franco having lost more than half of his weight and looking wrinkled and sickly.

The first track on the album titled Toujours OK (always OK) was sung in Lingala and broken Kiswahili. Franco had now grown distant from the running of the band which was torn apart by internal bickering. Despite being beset by these problems , the band continued to stage concerts in Franco's absence. Franco was now too frail to perform on stage let alone withstand gruelling recording sessions which lasted for hours ,days and even weeks. he was now hospitalised at a Belgian clinic.

Then on October 12 1989 came the shattering news. Franco had died in the wee hours of the morning. At his bedside were his sister Marie Louise , his wife Annie some of his children and some members of the band.

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