Bella Bellow
Georgette Adjoavi Bellow (Tsévié, Togo, 1 January 1945 – 10 December 1973) better known as Bella Bellow was a Togolese singer, who created an international career and recorded several albums. She died at the age of 28 in a car accident in Togo.
Bella Bellow | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Georgette Adjoavi Bellow |
| Born | 1 January 1945 Tsévié, Togo |
| Died | 10 December 1973 (aged 28) Lilikopé, Togo |
| Years active | 1960-1973 |
She was born in Tsévié, Togo, to a Togolese father of Nigerian descent and a Ghanaian-origin mother.[1] Bellow's first international performance was in 1966, when she represented Togo at the First World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, Senegal. Her first album, named Rockya, came out in 1969.[2] In the album , she was accompanied by Camerounian band made up of Manu Dibango, on saxophone, keyboards and arrangement, Jeannot Madingué on bass, Slim Pezin on the guitar and Ben's on drums
She performed at the Paris Olympia and recorded with Manu Dibango. Angélique Kidjo[1] and Afia Mala[3] have been influenced by Bella Bellow.
Discography
Albums
- 1968: Rockia live in Paris
- 1977: A compilation album of memories on Sonafric label, specializingin African music.[4]
Songs
(Selective)
- 1968: "Zelié"
- 1968: "Bléwu" (Patience)
- 1968: "Nye dzi" (My Heart)
- 1968: "O senye" (My destiny)"
- 1969: "Rockia"
- 1969: "Bouyélé"
- 1969: "Bem bem"
- 1977: "Lafoulou"
- 1977: "Denyigban" (Motherland)
References
- "Bella Bellow". discogs.
- Gates, Professor Henry Louis Jr.; Akyeampong, Professor Emmanuel; Niven, Mr Steven J. (2 February 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. ISBN 9780195382075.
- Afia Mala – Biography Archived 14 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- "Bella Bellow - Album Souvenir". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 3 August 2021.