Alpha Yaya Diallo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alpha Yaya Diallo
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| Background information | |
| Born | Guinea |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, balafon, djembe |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Labels | Jericho Beach |
Alpha Yaya Diallo is a talented musician from Guinea, a country in West Africa. He is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who now lives in Canada. He is known for mixing the rich, traditional music of Guinea with his own original songs. Alpha Yaya Diallo has won three Juno Awards, which are big music awards in Canada, and has been nominated for three more!
Biography
Early Life in Guinea
Alpha Yaya Diallo was born in Conakry, the capital city of Guinea. When he was a child, his father was a doctor who traveled a lot around the country. This meant Alpha Yaya got to see and experience many different cultures. He learned about the music and traditions of various groups within Guinea and from nearby countries too.
After Guinea became independent from France in 1958, its first president started a special program. This program aimed to bring back and support Guinea's own music, arts, dance, and languages. Alpha Yaya remembers that "At the time every family had a member who was being trained in music." He started playing drums in school. He also taught himself to play the guitar when he was quite young.
Musical Journey
At the University of Conakry, Alpha Yaya became the leader of a band called the Sons of Rais. He toured all over West Africa with them. After finishing university, he continued to perform with other bands like Love Systems, Kaloum Star, and Sorsornet Rhythm.
In the mid-1980s, Diallo moved to Europe. There, he worked with a group called Fatala, which played traditional Guinean music. This group was even connected to Peter Gabriel's music label. After touring a lot, Alpha Yaya Diallo decided to settle down in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1991.
Success in Canada
In 1993, Alpha Yaya Diallo released his first solo album, Nene. It was nominated for a Juno Award! His 1996 album, Futur, also received a Juno nomination. He won his first Juno Award in 1999 for his album The Message. This award was for "Best World Music Album." He won a second Juno in 2002 for his album The Journey. In 2004, he shared a third Juno Award for a music collection called African Guitar Summit.
He released another album, Djama, in 2005. In 2006, he won the Best World Artist-Solo award at the first-ever Canadian Folk Music Awards. Alpha Yaya Diallo also plays with other talented musicians in the group African Guitar Summit. Besides the guitar, he also plays the balafon (a type of wooden xylophone) and the djembe (a type of drum). His backup band, which has been with him since 1992, is called Baffing.
Alpha Yaya Diallo also produced a film documentary. It is called Best of Both Worlds and was filmed in West Africa, Canada, and France.
Discography
- 1993: Néné (Bafing Productions) – nominated for a Juno Award
- 1996: Futur (Bafing Productions) – nominated for a Juno Award
- 1998: The Message (Bafing Productions) – won the Juno Award for Best Global Album
- 2001: The Journey (Jericho Beach Music) – won the Juno Award for Best Global Album
- 2004: African Guitar Summit (CBC Recordings) collaboration – won the Juno Award in Best World Music Album category
- 2005: Djama (Jericho Beach Music) – nominated for a Juno Award
- 2010: Immé (Jericho Beach Music)
