Prince Nico Mbarga

Rockafil Jazz

(born: Nicholas Mbarga, 1 Jan 1950 in Abakaliki, Nigeria, died. 24 June 1997)

With his band, Rocafil Jazz, Prince Nico scored the biggest African hit ever. His 1976 triumphwas a song called “Sweet Mother” and its appeal (13 million copies sold) was largely due to Mbarga’s pan-African mix of Cameroonian, Nigerian, and Zairian styles. Despite his multi-instrumental talents and ownership of his own record label, Prince Nico has not been able to sustain his success…” ~Myles Boisen, All-Music Guide.     Rounder Records has released Aki Special and Free Education as well as Sweet Mother.  Prince Nico was killed tragically in a motorcycle accident at age 47.