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Alpha Blondy
Background information
Birth name	Seydou Koné
Also known as	Alpha Blondy
Born	January 1, 1953 Dimbokoro, Côte d'Ivoire
Genre(s)	Reggae
Occupation(s)	Singer/Songwriter
Years active	1982–present
Website	AlphaBlondy.info [[1]]

Alpha Blondy (born Seydou Koné on January 1, 1953 in Dimbokoro, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa), is an Ivoirian Reggae singer and a major International Recording Artist. Alpha Blondy sings mainly in Dioulahis native language, French and English, but also sometimes in Arabic or Hebrew. His lyrics denote strong political attitude and humor. In particular he coined the (French) term "democrature" (which translates as "democratorship") to qualify some African governments. Image File history File links Information. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cote_d'Ivoire. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... A singer is a musician who uses his or her voice to produce music. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... A singer is a musician who uses his or her voice to produce music. ... Dioula (Jula) is a language spoken in Burkina Faso and Côte dIvoire. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Early years

Childhood

First son of a family of nine children, Seydou Kone was born in Dimbokro in 1953. Raised by his grandmother, growing up in what he described as "among elders", which Рlater Рwas to have a big impact on his career. In 1962, Alpha Blondy went to join his father in Odienne, where he spent ten years, attending the Sainte Elisabeth high school, and getting involved in the Ivory Coast students movement. Here he formed a band. However, this hobby affected his schooling and Alpha Blondy was expelled from school due to poor attendance. His parents then sent him to study English in Monrovia a major city in the neighbouring country of Liberia in 1973. He spent thirteen months there and then moved to the United States of America to improve his English further. ^[1] Odienn̩ is one of the fifty-eight departments of C̫te dIvoire, lying in the northwestern part of the country, and also the name of the chief town of that department. ... Monrovia in the 1800s. ...

First stay in the USA

In 1973 Seydou moved to New York (and briefly Texas), where he attended College and majored in English, because he wanted to become a English teacher. He had to work very hard part-time, and sometimes at night, to survive and became ill. In New York he met Rastafarians for the first time, and was also able to see concerts by Jamaican artists such as Burning Spear. At this time he was recording Christian music but never stopped writing his own songs. Eventually he got into various scrapes in New York and returned to the Ivory Coast, where he got into even more trouble until he met up with one of his childhood friends, Fulgence Kassi, who had become a famous television producer. This was the beginning of his real career as a singer, using the name 'Alpha Blondy'. ^[2] NY redirects here. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Rasta hairstyle Rastafarianism is a religious movement that believes in the divinity of ex Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. ... Jah man! Winston Rodney (born March 1, 1948) a. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. ...

Musical career

After various TV shows for Kassi, Blondy recorded his first solo album in 1982, entitled 'Jah Glory'. This album was to have enormous success and would become later a symbol of resistance because of the song 'Brigadier Sabari', where Alpha criticised the harassment of the police. Some of this was based on personal experience as Alpha had seen police violence himself. Alpha Blondy became a big star in Abidjan with his own African twist of Reggae music, becoming in the eyes of his fans 'the Bob Marley of Africa'. Alpha Blondy is spiritual, political and positive just like Marley himself. And he doesn't stop progressing; in order to reach more people with his message, he chose to sing in many languages: English, French, Baoule, and his own native language – Dioula. Later he also brought new instrumentation to his brand of reggae such as the violin and cello. Robert Bob Nesta Marley OM (February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, guitarist, and political activist. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... The violoncello, almost always abbreviated to cello, or cello (the c is pronounced as the ch in cheese), is a bowed stringed instrument, the lowest-sounding member of the violin family. ...

Soon the fame of Alpha Blondy spread to Europe. Following the success of an EP entitled “Rasta Pou” he went to Paris in 1984 to make his second album, 'Cocody Rock' with the label Pathe Marconi. The 'Bob Marley of Africa' traveled to the Island of Jamaica and recorded the title track of this album with Marley’s backing group: The Wailers. World map showing the location of Europe. ... EP can stand for: EP is the IATA code for Iran Aseman Airlines Extended play, a music recording (usually consisting of several tracks, but shorter than a typical album) European Parliament, the parliamentary body of the European Union Evolutionary psychology, a belief that psychology can be better understood in light... This article is about the capital of France. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... When Bob Marley originally started singing with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh on the album Catch A Fire and Burnin ; they were known simply as The Wailers. ...

Back home in 1985, Alpha went into the studio to record 'Apartheid is Nazism'. This album was more politically committed than ever. It is a call for the end of Apartheid and the freedom for all. In 1986 Blondy recorded “Jerusalem” at the legendary Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica, again with The Wailers featuring Bob Marley's legendary Bass Aston "Family Man" Barrett. Blondy tried to promote unity between the religion of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. He drew his arguments and inspiration from his own diverse knowledge of the Bible, the Quran and the Torah. That same year, Blondy sang in Hebrew during a concert in Morocco. At this point he was touring continuously. His new album 'Revolution' had a lighter, gentler sound; this was the album with cellos in the instrumentation, and the line-up included veteran Ivory Coast singer Aicha Kone. The album also included "Jah Houphouët parle", a long speech by the Ivory Coast president with only the most minimal beat behind it. Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Aston Francis Barrett (born November 22, 1946, Kingston, Jamaica), often called Family Man or Fams for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... “Tora” redirects here. ...

Blondy spent the years 1987–1989 giving concerts and recording 'SOS Guerre Tribale' in Abidjan. This was promoted by Blondy himself as he was distancing himself from Pathe Marconi at this stage. This was not to be a real success but this wasn't going to stop Blondy and in 1991 he returned to Europe for a concert tour and to record his famous album: 'Massada' with the help of musical legends such as Bocana Maiga and UK reggae producer Denis Bovell. The album, with it's hit single 'Rendez Vous' was a huge success, and later, Blondy was to receive his first Gold Disc in Paris. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Freeway along the Ébrié Lagoon near the Plateau, Abidjans business district and centre of the city. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has sold a certain number of copies. ...

At the beginning of 1993, worn out from a world tour, Blondy succumbed to depression and was taken into an institution for psychiatric help. But as his health recovered he recorded the album 'Dieu' ('God'), where he appears more spiritual and religious, on tracks such as 'Heal Me', about his illness and recovery. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Blondy's psychiatric treatment continued but, on 10 December 1994, Blondy was back with the festival in memory of the late President Houphouet, and later he made his European comeback at a storming concert at Le Zenith in Paris. In 1996, Blondy released a hits compilation and went back into the studio to record the album 'Grand Bassam Zion', singing in six languages; Malinke, Arabic, French, English, Ashanti and Wolof. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Félix Houphouët-Boigny (fālēks´ oofwā´-bwä´nye) (October 18, 1905 - December 7, 1993) was the first President of Côte dIvoire (1960 - 1993) and was previously appointed minister in the government of France several times between 1957 and 1961. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania, and it is the native language of the ethnic group of the Wolof people. ...

After two more years in Paris, Blondy returned to his homeland in 1998, with a new album 'The Prophet'. Convinced his label was too much focused on the international market, he decided to create his own label. Since then Alpha has recorded albums and singles, such as: 'Yitzhak Rabin' in memory of the Israeli prime minister who was assassinated in 1995 (this was accompanied by yet another grueling tour of Europe), the single 'Journaliste en Danger' the album 'Elohim' in 2000. ^[3] Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... For other persons named Rabin, see Rabin (disambiguation). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

ALPHA BLONDY celebrated 20 years as a recording artist, with the release of his CD " MERCI", in 2002 featuring Ophelie Winter and Saian Supa Crew, which earned him a 2003 Grammy Awards Nomination for "BEST REGGAE ALBUM". However due to the political situation in his home country of Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), he was unable to personally attend the prestigious award ceremony in New York City. In an unprecedented move, the Grammy Awards permitted him to send his representative in his place of honor. ^[4] In 2005 'Akwaba' was released. His latest CD is entitled "Victory" due to be released July 2007. It features Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare as well as Tyrone Downie formerly of Bob Marley and the Wailers. "Victory" is in honor of the peace agreement that was reached and implemented in his country in March of 2007. ^[5] Ophelie Kleerekoper-Winter (born February 20, 1974 in Boulogne, France) is a French singer and actress. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it more accessible to a general audience, this article may require cleanup. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lowell Sly Fillmore Dunbar was born on 10 May 1952, in Kingston, Jamaica. ... Sly and Robbie are probably reggaes most prolific and long lasting production team. ... Tyrone Downie is a keyboardist/pianist. ...

His Faith

Grammy nominated Alpha Blondy was born to a Muslim mother and a Christian father and was brought up by a grandmother who taught him to love everyone. Alpha Blondy's respect for all religions and the spirituality he derives from them can be heard on tracks like “Jerusalem” where he sang for unity between all religions in 1986.

Alpha Blondy as activist

Alpha Blondy has always been a critic of authority. He calls himself a defender of free speech and since his breakthrough with “Brigadier Sabari” has fought against injustice as well as racism, harassment and corruption. In the year 2000 Alpha denounced the mismanagement of government funds for private gain in the album “les voleurs de la république” (thieves of the republic). Despite the risk, he had the courage to denounce also the mysterious murder of the burkinabè journalist Norbert Zongo. But it was in 1998 that Alpha recorded his most controversial and criticised album: “Yitzhak Rabin”. He also wrote a song calling for the departure of the French military arguing that the Ivory Coast and other former French colonies did not need their services anymore, and the track “guerre civile“ predicted civil war if the politicians did not stop their corruption. ^{[6] [7]} Because racism carries connotations of race-based bigotry, prejudice, violence, oppression, stereotyping or discrimination, the term has varying and often hotly contested definitions. ... Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behavior. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Norbert Zongo was the publisher and editor of the Burkina Faso newspaper lIndépendant. ...

His Humanitarian Works

ALPHA Blondy(Seydou Kone) was named United Nations Ambassador of Peace for Côte D'Ivoire in 2005. He made great efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to his country's political and physical division which was a result of an attempted Coup in 2001. As of March 2007 a peace agreement was signed and implemented, due to the hard work of many people including Alpha Blondy. Alpha now reaches out further with the newly created Not-for-Profit, Non Government, Non Political, Charitable Foundation, Alpha Blondy Jah Glory Foundation, which purposely and deliberately work towards ending social injustice and generational poverty by giving people the tools that they need to help themselves. He strongly believes in helping the poor (Jah Glory), and also that it should not hurt to a child. The Foundation strives to create and implement grassroots programs at the village level such as the Women’s Self-Sufficiency Micro Loan Program, to teach women who are caring for multiple Orphans how to start and manage their own business, to better provide for their families, as well as other sustainable projects, such as the Tafari-Genesis Retreat Camp for Children (Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso). It especially hope to bring joy and hope to children who have been affected by civil wars, Former Child Soldiers, and those who suffers from chronic life threatening illnesses, such as, Sickle Cell Anemia, Malaria, Asthma Etc..

Talking about Alpha Blondy, people think usually of music and indeed since 1980 he has written at least 17 albums and 194 titles. This itself indicates the great value he represents for his fans. Alpha is no longer an Ivorian star but a International Mega Star because of his fight for peace and unity all around the world. One example was his single “Who Are You” with Ophelie Winter against antipersonnel mines. He has also participated at many humanitarian and charity concerts, such as the concert in Senegal in March 2006 for the eradication of Malaria in Africa (where he appeared along with many other celebrities). He has done much, much more of this type of work in the Ivory Coast itself, especially at his annual free concert at Bassam beach called “festa”. Parts of the M18A1 Claymore The M18A1 Claymore is a directional anti-personnel mine used by the U.S. military. ... Humanitarianism is the view that all people should be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve as human beings, and that advancing the well-being of humanity is a noble goal. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ...

Best known songs

His first success was Brigadier Sabare. Some representative songs are:

• Jah Glory - which he sings against poverty
• Apartheid is Nazism
• Brigadier Sabare - satirical lyrics about police brutality.
• Cocody Rock - has become like a Alpha Blondy anthem, which everyone knows and sings
• Guerre Civile - about civil war
• Jerusalem- a call for peace in Israel. The lyrics begins with a Hebrew prayer in Hebrew
• Journalistes en danger - about the assassination of Norbert Zongo
• Politiqui - about civilian / military government alternance
• Yitzhak Rabin

Blondy features on a track on the 2005 Magic System album Petit Pompier. David Kirkwood on the ground after being struck by police batons Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers. ... Norbert Zongo was the publisher and editor of the Burkina Faso newspaper lIndépendant. ... Magic System is a musical group from Abidjan in the Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast), founded in 1996, featuring Salif Asalfo Traoré, Narcisse Goude Sadoua, Etienne Tino Boué Bi, and Adama Manadja Fanny. ...

Discography

• 1982: Jah Glory
• 1984: Cocody Rock!!!
• 1985: Apartheid Is Nazism
• 1986: Jerusalem (featuring The Wailers)
• 1987: Revolution
• 1989: The Prophets
• 1992: Masada
• 1993: SOS Guerres Tribales
• 1993: Live Au Zénith (Paris)
• 1994: Dieu
• 1996: Grand Bassam Zion Rock
• 1997: Best Of
• 1998: Yitzhak Rabin
• 1999: Elohim
• 2001: Blondy Live Paris Bercy
• 2002: Merci
• 2005: "Akwaba"

Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... When Bob Marley originally started singing with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh on the album Catch A Fire and Burnin ; they were known simply as The Wailers. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Elohim can refer to: Elohim, a Hebrew word related to deity Elohim (gods), a Canaanite word meaning pantheon Elohim, an album by the jazz band Aka Moon Elohim, an album by the reggae musician Alpha Blondy Elohim City, a private compound in the United States. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... merci is a brand of German chocolate manufactured by the German company August Storck KG. The chocolates are manufactured as bars of differently flavoured chocolate from Europe, packaged in a white box. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Interview with Montreal Mirror September 2003
• Official website[2]* Alpha Blondy Life, (2005). Alpha Blondy Info. Retrieved March 27, 2005
• Sahel University, (2006). Alpha Blondy’s Actions; retrieved April 1st, 2005, from sefos@yahoo.fr
• Alpha Blondy Grammy Awards nomination; retrieved June 2007 from [3]
• PCCI Center, (2006). Alpha Blondy’s Engagements. Retrieved April 2nd, 2006, from bamba400@hotmail.com
• Alpha Blondy Music, (2005). Alpha Blondy’s Info. Retrieved March 27, 2005