Alemayehu Eshete

Alemayehu Eshete

History

Alemayehu was born in June 1941 in Addis Ababa, where his father worked as a taxi driver. Alemayehu talent was recognized by Colonel Retta Demeqe, who invited the young singer to perform with Addis Ababa's famous Police Orchestra. He had his first hit "Seul" in 1961 before moving on to found the Alem-Girma Band with Girma Beyene. Over the course of 15 years, Alemayehu released some 30 singles until the arrival of the communist junta Derg. Alemayehu continued working as a musician under the Derg and was once ordered to perform in Korean for Kim Il-sung. Alemayehu gained fame in Europe and the Americas with the release of Buda Musique's Ethiopiques series of compilations on compact disc. Ethiopiques Volume 9 is devoted entirely to recordings of his earlier music, and Volume 22 covers his career between 1972 and 1974. Other songs have also appeared on Volumes 3, 8, 10, and 13 or the series. In 2008, Alemayehu toured the United States with fellow Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed, backed by Boston's 10-piece Either/Orchestra." - Wikipedia

Profile

Alemayehu Eshete

Movies

Ethiopiques: Revolt of the Soul
The story of how the Western world was first introduced to the musical history of Ethiopia, through the `Ethiopiques' CDs and the mastermind behind them, French music journalist, Francis Falceto.
Under African Skies: Ethiopia
First aired on TV on the BBC Two on 29 September 1989, this second episode of the documentary series "Under African Skies", a grand project aimed at presenting the rich diversity of contemporary African music of those days and known for its unforgettable memento "A celebration of the new sounds of a continent. " traverses the nostalgic roots and the euphoric contours of Ethiopian music of the '80s.