Franco and Soukous

Congolese icon Franco crafted his first guitar from tin of cooking oil. A few years later, he had become a driving force in the popularization of the Congolese “rumba” sound, which would later be called soukous and spread its influence across the globe. Franco’s long-time band, OK Jazz, had a motto - On entre O.K., on sort K.O. (one enters OK, one leaves KO'd) - and pushed the limits of free speech allowed by the Congolese monarchy. Ken Braun discusses the pop phenomenon and his impact on African politics and music.

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on Afropop and a busy weekend for world music in New York