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Le Grand Kallé

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Bio

Joseph Athanase Tshamala Kabasele, aka Le Grand Kallé, was a Congolese singer and bandleader, widely recognized as the "father" of modern Congolese music (Soukous). He founded the band l'African Jazz and established his own record label, Subourboum Jazz, in 1960. Kallé composed several political songs, including "Indépendance Cha Cha" and was chosen as one of the Congolese delegates at the "Round Table Conference" on Congolese independence in 1960. He passed away on February 11, 1983, in Paris, France, and was buried in Kinshasa.

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