Jean Bosco Mwenda

Jean Bosco Mwenda
Jean-Bosco Mwenda performing in Katanga, Belgian Congo, in 1952
Background information
Birth nameJean-Bosco Mwenda
Also known asMwenda wa Bayeke
Bornc.1930
Bunkeya, Belgian Congo
(modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Origin Congolese
DiedSeptember 1990
Zambia
GenresCongolese rumba
Occupations
  • Singer
  • guitarist
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
vocals
Years active1950s–present

Jean-Bosco Mwenda, also known as Mwenda wa Bayeke (1930 – September 1990), was a pioneer of Congolese fingerstyle acoustic guitar music. He was also popular in other African countries, particularly in East Africa, and in the late 1950s and early 1960s was briefly based in Nairobi, Kenya, where he had a regular radio show and became a profound influence on a generation of Kenyan guitarists.