Nico Kasanda

Nico Kasanda
Kasanda in the 1960s
Background information
Birth nameNicolas Kasanda wa Mikalay
Also known asDocteur Nico
Born(1939-07-07)7 July 1939
Mikalayi, Belgian Congo
Died22 September 1985(1985-09-22) (aged 46)
Brussels, Belgium
GenresCongolese rumba and Soukous
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1957 – c. 1975

Nicolas Kasanda wa Mikalay (7 July 1939 – 22 September 1985), popularly known as Docteur Nico, was a guitarist, composer and one of the pioneers of Congolese music. He was born in Mikalayi in the Belgian Congo. He graduated in 1957 as a technical teacher, but inspired by his musical family, he took up the guitar and in time became a virtuoso soloist.