Filed under: Iran
This is the sole release by Gypsy Group – also seen transliterated as Kolina Group. The singer / composer was William Khenno who also wrote songs for Googoosh, Fereydoun Foroughi, Ramesh and more.
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Catalog number AR-2328 on Ahang Rooz or Tehran, Iran. No release date listed.
Filed under: Tanzania
Sunburst was founded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1970 by by guitarist Hembi Flory Kongo – who was originally from Zaïre. After playing the city’s clubs, they were introduced to a larger audience via a live session for the state-owned Radio Tanzania. They eventually went to Kenya to record their first two singles.
In 1974, Sunburst met Zambian musician Rikki Ililonga from Zamrock group Musi-O-Tunya and he invited them to Zambia. Meeting their later manager, Peter Bagshawe, they embarked on an ill-fated tour with Kenyan funk band Matata before working on a first full album in 1976 in Lusaka with new band members. After the release of the album, they recorded three more singles for the Tanzanian state label Tanzania Film Company and then called it quits.
Strut reissued their album Ave Africa. The release includes all of their singles and radio sessions.
Catalog number FWBO 9301 on RCA Victor of France. Released 1973.
Filed under: Vietnam
Đinh Văn Dậm was born in 1929 in Bình Đăng – now known as Binh Hưng – Vietnam. At the age of 3, he became blind due to smallpox. His parents changed his name to Văn Vĩ after the Chinese herbalist that was treating him for smallpox gave him the nickname.
As early as seven years old, he was playing the đàn nhị but soon after switched to guitar. By the time he was sixteen, he was performing regularly in opera troupes – as well as Saigon’s nightclubs.
During an opening performance of Bên Cầu Vọng Thê by his opera troupe, lead actor Hùng Cường failed to sing a verse. He accused Văn Vĩ of deliberately disrupting him and used a sword to puncture the speaker of his amplifier and kicked it to pieces, loudly insulting and threatening to hit Văn Vĩ. As a result, Văn Vĩ hired a bodyguard named Nguyễn Mỹ – who Hùng Cường physically kicked off the stage at another performance. Eventually Hùng Cường was forced to apologize to Văn Vĩ he and bought him a new amplifier.
167.466 on Continental of South Vietnam. No release date listed
Filed under: Bangladesh
♬ Ore Saleka Ore Maleka / ওরে সালেকা ওরে মালেকা
Mahbubul Haque Khan – better known as Azam Khan / আজম খান – was born in Dacca, East Pakistan – now known as Dhaka, Bangladesh. Khan, together with pop music contemporaries Fakir Alamgir, Ferdous Wahid, Firoz Shai, Najma Zaman, and Pilu Momtaz is credited with pioneering and popularizing Bengali pop music.
After fighting in the Liberation War, Azam founded the band Uchcharan / উচ্চারণ in 1972. Uchcharan are considered the first pop band of Bangladesh. This single was their first release. In 1993, Azam performed an updated version of the song in the Bangla film titled Godfather.
Catalog number ১২১০৩৯ on Dhaka Records / ঢাকা রেকর্ড of Bangladesh. No release date listed.
Filed under: Uruguay
Sexteto Electrónico Moderno were from Montevideo, Uruguay.
The group formed in 1966 with the initial line up of Pedro Güida, Emilio Arteaga, Fernando Granada, Reynaldo Granada, Fernando Olivera and Ernesto Gross. They recorded one single (pictured above) – and then broke up. But that wasn’t the end of the story.
Their manager, Carlos Simonetti, decided to continue the group with all new members. They would go on to release eight more singles and seven albums. VampiSoul released a retrospective compilation titled Sounds from the Elegant World.
Catalog number P 434411 T on Philips of Uruguay. Releases 1967.
Filed under: Algeria
Tchier Abdelghani was, to the best of knowledge, from Oran, Algeria. Other than this cassette, he released five singles. His song “Laâroussa Jate” was included on the Serendip Lab compilation A Moi La Liberte: Early Electronic Rai – Algerie 1983-1990.
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Catalog number EBC 79 on Editions Bouarfa of France. No release date listed
Filed under: Madagascar
Hery Mahefasoa Razafindrakoto – who shortened his name to Herimahefasoa – is from Antananarivo, Madagascar. To the best of my knowledge, this is his only release – although he has much more of his music posted on his YouTube page. And where as there is no date listed, I am fairly certain that this was released in 1983.
Catalog number 467 589 on Discomad of Madagascar. No release date listed.
Filed under: Argentina
Rama y Su Combo were formed Nestor Mario Rama in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1968. Nestor, who played organ, was the leader of the band. They recorder three albums and at least a dozen singles – this one being their first. In 1972, they changed the name of the band to The Toppers and released seven singles before breaking up.
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Catalog number TS 367 on Disc Jockey of Argentina. Released 1968.
Filed under: Taiwan
♬ Don’t Let Him Go Home / 不許他回家
♬ Unforgettable Memories / 意難忘
This one has been on the back burner for a while now… I was told that the the name of the artist is Chin Yin – which is pretty much ungoogleable. But when I translate 金音, I get “Golden Sound” – which leads me to believe that maybe that was the name of the band – which is also impossible to google…
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
No catalog number or release date listed. Released on Four Seasons of Taipei, Taiwan.
Filed under: Lebanon
♬ Raqsat Alsamah / رقصة الشباب
Walid Gholmieh / وليد غلمية was born in Marjeyoun, Lebanon in 1938. He was a composer and founded the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra which he also conducted. During the late 1970s / early 1980s, he released at least seventeen albums and four singles.
Gholmieh composed the former Iraqi national anthem, “Ardulfurataini Watan” / “Land of Euphrates” that was in use from 1981 until 2003 during the Ba’athist regime of Saddam Hussein. He was also featured on the album Plastic Beach by Gorillaz that was released in 2010. Gholmieh past away the following year.
Catalog number 905/906 on Morico Records of Lebanon. Released 1971.
Radiodiffusion Internasionaal Annexe 