Muntu Valdo

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Born1972 (age 5354)
Douala, Cameroon
Genresblues, world, jazz, soul, folk, acoustic
OccupationMusician
InstrumentsGuitar, harmonica, vocals, percussions
Muntu Valdo
Background information
Born1972 (age 5354)
Douala, Cameroon
Genresblues, world, jazz, soul, folk, acoustic
OccupationMusician
InstrumentsGuitar, harmonica, vocals, percussions
Years active1995
LabelsSawablues, Warner Jazz
Websitemuntuvaldo.co.uk

Muntu Valdo (born 1972) is an [acoustic blues] guitarist, harmonica player, and singer from Douala, Cameroon. He has performed with Ali Farka Toure, Manu Dibango, Richard Bona, Lokua Kanza, Eko Roosevelt, Lionel & Stephane Belmondo, Keziah Jones, and Alpha Blondy, and has played at Womad music festivals.[1]

Valdo, the eldest of four brothers, is from the Sawa community of Cameroon on the Gulf of Guinea coast; his father from the small village of Dibombari near Douala, and his mother from the Malimba Islands. When 8 years old he began playing on a guitar made from plasterboard and fishing wire,[1] and at 15, started writing music, developing a particular musical style called Sawa Blues.

In the early 1990s, Valdo studied Law at the University of Yaoundé. While at university, he was injured and bed-ridden during student demonstrations; part of a political upheaval in Cameroon. On leaving hospital he returned to his parents in Douala, where he occasionally offered tuition to children. His parents had forbidden him to return to Yaoundé, so he began university studies at Douala in Linguistics and History, particularly that of Africa and Ancient Egypt. These studies influenced his decision to pursue a musical career, as did the musician Eko Roosevelt who, with Valdo, performed with the university's orchestra. He later joined Roosevelt's band as a guitarist; this was Valdo's first experience as a professional musician.

Career

Discography

References

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