Artist page

André-Marie Tala, known as Tala, was born on October 29, 1950, in Bandjoun, West Cameroon. He faced significant challenges in his early life, losing his mother at the age of four and his father twelve years later. At the age of fifteen, Tala went blind, but with the support of his grandmother, he turned to his passion for music. He formed a group called the Rock Boys, which later became the Black Tigers, featuring guitarist Sam Fan Thomas. Tala recorded his first songs with the help of Manu Dibango and achieved success with two hits in Cameroon in 1972, "Sikati" and "Potaksima." His debut album, "Hot Koki," was so successful that it led to a plagiarism case against James Brown, which Tala won. He continued to release many albums throughout his career. In 1997, highlights of his work were compiled into two CDs. Tala has been living in Paris for over twenty years but plans to return to Cameroon in the coming decade to support young Cameroonian musicians. Before that, he aims to promote Bend skin and Tchamassi music through extensive touring.

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