Prince Nico Mbarga – International Welenga

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Prince Nico Mbarga was a highlife musician who was born in Abakaliki, Nigeria, to a Nigerian mother and a Cameroonian father on January 1, 1950. He passed away on June 24, 1997.

His five years in Cameroon during the late 1960s Nigerian Civil War served as inspiration for his music. In school bands, he performed on the xylophone, conga, drums, and electric guitar. In 1970, he made his professional debut as a member of the Melody Orchestra, a hotel band.

Mbarga played a key impact in the development of African popular music despite having only released one notable hit, “Sweet Mother,” in 1976, which sold more than 13 million copies and is regarded as one of Africa’s best songs. Mbarga’s heartfelt voice and lighthearted acoustic guitar melodies combined to produce a distinctive fusion of Igbo and Congolese guitar playing and upbeat highlife beats. In order to perform frequently at the Naza Hotel in the city of Onitsha, eastern Nigeria, he founded his own band, Rocafil Jazz.

Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz got their first success with their second single, I No Go Marry My Papa, which became a regional hit, in 1974 after releasing a lethargic single in 1973.

Due to the band’s inability to expand beyond their local fan base, EMI terminated their recording contract. This was a bad move because the band then signed with Rogers All Stars, a Nigerian music business with headquarters in Onitsha, and recorded “Sweet Mother.”

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