Éthiopiques 19: alèmyè: 1974

The Éthiopiques series is not only the most thorough and informative source of Ethiopian music available, but it is one of the most spectacular bodies of recordings in the annals of African pop. Volume 19 of an expected 30 volumes returns to a central figure in the development of Ethiopian groove, the fabulous crooner Mahmoud Ahmed. A natural singer, Ahmed left school to become a shoe-shine boy in Addis in the early 60s. He was discovered while working as a handy man at a bar. One night the singer couldn't make the gig and he stepped up to the mic to sing brilliant covers of the day's popular hits. Adapted into the Imperial Body Guard Band, he made his first single in 1971, and recorded heavily during the next four years, until the rise of the Derg dictatorship put an end to Amha records and drove Ahmed into the seclusion of exclusive, luxury hotels, the only venues for live pop music during the 18 long years of the Derg.