Monday
morning saw the world wake up to the headlines that Papa Wemba
was no more. Now it comes as no surprise that this, in the grand
scheme of things, made a smaller dent than a few announcements that
were its predecessors. In truth, few knew of the Congolese singer who
was also referred to as the ‘King of Rhumba Rock’. However, he
was one of Africa’s most popular musicians and a leading figure in
the World Music scene, who had been a constant member of Stevie
Wonder’s tour group and had even earned a gold disc for his
collaboration with music legend, Peter Gabriel. Papa Wemba collapsed
on stage on Sunday, where he passed away, after singing his third
song.
2016 is no stranger to the news of musicians passing away though. In recent
times, when getting on social media, there’s always the creeping in
of dread, with thought of “What musician died today?” in the back
of one’s mind, and the hope of not finding one’s favourite
artistes in the trending topics. Only last week, the world
mourned the passing of Prince, who was the holder of an Academy
Award, a Golden Globe and seven Grammys. He too, was far from the
last casualty of this year of dread, with other legends such as David
Bowie, Merle Haggard, Frank Sinatra Jr, Glenn Frey, Lemmy and Scott
Weiland, amongst a fair number of others in niche genres.
Café
speaks with some of Goa’s younger generation of musicians, and gets
their take on which of these heroes (now no longer with us)
influenced them, and how
For
me, the bulk of what I grew up on in the ‘70s
‘80s,
was music that had a very gospel-like vibe. The only one who did
that, from that list of those that have passed this year, was Glenn
Frey, with the Eagles. He was the key behind their dynamic harmonies,
and I think that all musicians, on the local scene, end up playing at
least one track by the Eagles. Right from Hotel California to love
will keep us alive, to Tequila Sunrise, that band had all kinds of
genres. When it comes to lyrics and chordal arrangements, Glenn Frey
was a great influence.
Marwino
Da Costa
A26/Grace
For
me, it was definitely Glenn Frey. He made me fall in love with
country music. Over time, I’ve realised that this is one of my
strengths as a performer, and I only discovered that thanks to Glenn
Frey.
Axel
D’Souza
Independent
Artiste
To be
honest, I haven’t given them much time to influence me the way most
people have been by these great musicians. But the musicians I love
and look up to, they look up to these legends in turn. I have heard
their music and I love it, but haven’t really been influenced
greatly. I love Bowie and his style of singing and his ideology. I
love how Prince could play so many instruments and was a master at
creating such great music. Some of their songs that I love, purple
rain (why would that not be here), musicology. Rebel rebel by Bowie.
They’re in my playlist.
Dunstan
Dias
The
Suspects
I
would definitely say Glenn Frey, primarily because of the harmonies
and melodies that he influenced. I also think that he was lyrically
spot on. As such, I think I could say, with ease, that he was my
greatest influence.
Pierre
Fernandes
The
Ka3aoke Co.
Definitely
Prince, because of his song, Purple Rain which I love. He’s one of
the musicians by whom I’ve been influenced, because his music was
just what I wanted to listen to as I was growing up. I love funk,
rock, R&B and soul. I used to just gaze at his band, The
Revolution. This has taught me a lot. As a musician one needs to
observe other musicians, the way they execute a show, with love and
feeling. I want to be an entertainer like him, perhaps
someday.
Rosswyn
Fernandes
Rhythm and Blues
I’ve
been influenced by all of them, in some way or the other. Prince and
Bowie for the style and the live performances. Frey and Weiland for
the songwriting, and Lemmy for the attitude. All of them have
influenced bands and musicians for years to follow so it’s hard pick
one.
Dushyant
Purohit
Independent
Artiste
