Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta

Georges Kiamuangana Mateta (19 May 1944 – 13 October 2022), known professionally as Verckys, was a Congolese saxophonist, composer, bandleader, producer, record label founder, and music-business executive. He was renowned as a talented and prolific musician, and was the first indigenous African to own a record label, through which he introduced many major Congolese artists to the world.[1][2]

In this Congolese name, the surname is Kiamuangana and the post-surname is Mateta.
Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta
Kiamuangana in 2021.
Kiamuangana in 2021.
Background information
Birth nameGeorges Kiamuangana Mateta
Born(1944-05-19)19 May 1944
Kisantu, Belgian Congo
Died13 October 2022(2022-10-13) (aged 78)
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
GenresCongolese rumba
Occupation(s)Songwriter, saxophonist, producer
Instrument(s)Saxophone
Years active1960s–1980s
LabelsEditions Vévé International

Biography

Born in Kisantu[3] as Georges Kiamuangana on 19 May 1944,[4] he came from a wealthy family; his father was a businessman in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). Kiamuangana learned music at church. As a saxophonist, he adopted the name Verckys based on American saxophone player King Curtis, hearing the name "Curtis" as "Verckys."[1]

Verckys was a one-time member of the prolific rhumba band TPOK Jazz, led by François Luambo Makiadi, which dominated the Congolese music scene from the 1950s through the 1980s.[5]

In 1969, Verckys left TPOK Jazz and formed his own band, Orchestre Vévé.[6] Verkys also managed two other bands, which he owned: Orchestre Kiam and Orchestre Lipua Lipua. Among the musicians who played for Verkys in the 1970s are Nyboma Mwandido and Pepe Kalle. During the early 1980s Verckys quit the music scene, to pursue other interests.[7]

In 2015, Sterns Music released in MP3 form much of the output of Verckys's Éditions Vévé record label (the blog post announcing this includes a biography of Verckys).[8]

Personal life and death

Verckys had 13 children; four born to Lucie Bola (his legal wife), four others to Christine Ngoy, and two to Stéphanie Feza. He died in Kinshasa on 13 October 2022, at the age of 78.[9]

Discography
Compilations
  • Verckys & L'Orchestre Veve, Congolese Funk, Afrobeat and Psychedelic Rumba 1969 - 1978 (2014, Analog Africa)
  • Verckys, Edition Veve 1969-1972 (2015, Sterns)
  • Verckys, Edition Veve 1972-1978 (2015, Sterns)
  • Verckys, Edition Veve 1969-1978 (2015, Sterns)
  • Verckys, Edition Veve 1972-1975 (2015, Sterns)
Contributing artist

See also

References
  1. Johnston, Alastair. "Verckys & Veve: a critical discography". Muzikifan.com. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  2. Radio Okapi (13 October 2022). "DRC: death of musician Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta". Radio Okapi. Kinshasa, DR Congo. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  3. bopili. "Le saxophoniste Verckys Kiamuangana a tiré sa révérence jeudi à Kinshasa | acpcongo" (in French). Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  4. Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2589. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  5. "Congo part 1". Muzikifan.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  6. "Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta | Soukous African Music". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  7. "Franco Luambo, Verkys, Simaro, Trez Impoli, Essous". Kenyapage.net. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  8. "Sterns Music: Verckys & Editions Veve International: The most comprehensive digital reissue of the Éditions Vévé catalogue yet undertaken". Sternsmusic.blogspot.com. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  9. "RDC : décès du musicien Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta". Radio Okapi (in French). 13 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
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