Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Uganda Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
One of the two men credited with founding kadongo kamu, and among the handful of musicians who performed at Uganda's independence in 1962.
Elly Wamala began recording in the 1950s and was among the first Ugandans to make a living from popular music at all. He performed at the independence celebrations in October 1962, which put him in the small group of musicians present at the making of the country.
He is credited, with Fred Masagazi, as a founder of kadongo kamu — literally one little guitar — the form built on a single guitar and a singer telling a story at length, which became the spine of Luganda popular music and is still the register in which Ugandan songwriters make an argument.
His own style was more polished than most of what followed him, drawing on Congolese rumba and on crooning, and songs like Ndiwuulira and Nabutono are still played. He recorded across five decades, went quiet for long stretches during the Amin years when performing carried real risk, and came back.
He died in 2004. Most Ugandan musicians working in Luganda today are, whether they trace it or not, working in a form he helped make.
He is credited, with Fred Masagazi, as a founder of kadongo kamu — literally one little guitar — the form built on a single guitar and a singer telling a story at length, which became the spine of Luganda popular music and is still the register in which Ugandan songwriters make an argument.
His own style was more polished than most of what followed him, drawing on Congolese rumba and on crooning, and songs like Ndiwuulira and Nabutono are still played. He recorded across five decades, went quiet for long stretches during the Amin years when performing carried real risk, and came back.
He died in 2004. Most Ugandan musicians working in Luganda today are, whether they trace it or not, working in a form he helped make.
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