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Gerald Pino was a prominent singer and guitarist from Sierra Leone, born on February 1, 1934, in Enugu, Nigeria. He passed away on November 9, 2008, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Pino was one of the first artists to achieve success by blending American funk with the emerging West African Afrobeat scene during the mid to late 1960s. His music was characterized by strong African percussive elements and a revolutionary spirit that resonated throughout Africa at the time. A distinctive feature of Pino's sound was the use of the Hammond B-3 organ. As he gained popularity in Nigeria, he made a significant impression on fellow musician Fela Kuti, who later adopted similar funky elements in his own performances and recordings. It is said that Kuti moved to America to promote his music, believing he could not compete with Pino's popularity in West Africa. While Kuti found success with Western producers and audiences, Pino's influence on the development of Afrobeat remained relatively unknown outside Africa until recently.

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