Formed in Leopoldville, Congo in 1958 by Henri Bowane originally just for a short tour of the interior, the group featured Freddy N'Kounkou (b. 1934, Congo; vocals) and Jerry Malekani (b. 18 April 1938, Congo; guitar), Jerry Malekani (b. 18 April 1938, Congo; guitar), M'bilia Casino (vocals) and Panda Garcia (bass) augmented by a changing pool of other musicians (ranging in number from two to 15). They played a variation of Congolese guitar pop with strong Latin influences, plus whichever dance rhythm was popular at the time (calypso, highlife and even the twist). Permanently ...