Josky Kiambukuta was a Rhumba artist, composer, and singer-songwriter who rose into fame back in 1969 when he joined a band.
Other than his fine talent as a composer, Josky was also known for his wide vocals range, from soprano to bass.
Here’s a quick summary of his bio:
| Josky Kiambukuta Profile | |
| Birth Name | Joseph Kiambukuta Londa |
| Date of Birth | February 14, 1949 |
| Place of Birth | Gombe-Matadi, DR Congo |
| Parents | Father, Bernard Bakiansuni; Mother, Albertine Londa |
| Family | Serge Kiambukuta, Cousin |
| Nationality | Congolese |
| Occupation | Artist, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1965 – 2009 |
| Date of Death | March 7, 2021 |
Early Life
Josky was born in Gombe-Matadi, which is a community found in Kongo Central Province, DRC, on Valentine’s Day of 1949.
Josky was a member of several music bands during his career.
African Fiesta Sukisa
He started his music career back in 1965. However, his rise to fame officially started when he joined the African Fiesta Sukisa, which was a split from L’Ochestra African Fiesta, music group in 1969.
The group had been initially founded by famous Rhumba artists Tabu Ley and Docteur Nico in 1963. They both separated in 1965 before Josky joined Dr. Nico.
Dr. Nico’s brother, Dechaud Mwamba, was a member of the group. The other members included Bopol Mansiamina, Blaise Pasco Mayanda, Serpent Kabamba and Sita Malukisa.
Josky recorded “Sadi Naboyi Masumu” during his short time with African Fiesta Sukisa.
Orchestre Continental
In 1971, after being part of the Fiesta group for just two years, he left together with a couple of African Fiesta Sukisa and started their own band, called Orchestre Continental.
Wuta Mayi, a young talented musician at the time joined the group later.
Josky recorded another one of his composed songs, “Nakobondela” and “Tchebo”.
He was a member of the group for another two years.
TPOK Jazz
In 1973, Josky left Ochestre Continental and joined TPOK Jazz, where he would spend the next 12 years of his career.
The band was led by the famous Franco. At the time, it was coming out of a difficult period, with a large number of band members leaving and Franco dealing with a tragedy.
With recruitment of new talents and new artists joining the group, TPOK was slowly rising into one if the best bands in DRC, then called Zaire. At this point they were touring all of Africa.
During his early years with the band, Josky mostly played lead vocalist, a position well suited for his amazing vocal range.
In 1980, he composed a song, “Propetaire”, which caught the attention of many fans because of its deep message.
In 1981, he composed yet another song, “Bimansha”.
From there onward, Josky composed and produced many hits that saw him and the TPOK band rise in fame.
In recognition of his talent, Franco led the release of an album labeled “Franco Presente Josky Kiambukuta”, which only featured Josky’s songs. Among the songs in the album were Alita, Limbisa Ngai and Mehida.
He was given lead vocal roles in the band from time to time.
One of Josky’s greatest hits was the song Missile, where he showcased his vocal range from soprano to bass.
Going Solo
Josky left TPOK in 1985 alongside Ntesa Dalienst, where he produced solo albums, teaming up with other artists such as Papa Wemba and Koffi Olomide.
One of his albums was “Ngounda”.
During his solo career, he teamed up with his cousin, Serge Kiambukuta and Ntesa Dalienst and produced an album.
Rejoining TPOK
In 1987, Josky rejoined TPOK Jazz. He was still working on his solo albums, and in 1988 he released the album “Mata Kita Bloque”.
He went on to work alongside his mentor, Franco, until his death in 1989.
In this time, Franco released yet another album featuring three of Josky’s songs, “Franco Presente Josky Kiambukuta”.
After Franco’s death, the other band members went on to play together for the next four years. That’s when he produced songs such as Chandra and Serre Serre.
The band split in 1994 following irreconcilable differences.
Bana OK
Except Madilu, all the other band members, including Josky, went in to form another band, Bana OK.
Bana OK went on to play together till early 2000, where each of the members had started pursuing solo records. This was when Josky decided to move to Paris, France.
During his stay, he released two albums, “Oui Ca Va” and “Double Vie” in 2001 and 2005 consecutively.
Even then, Bana OK continued to get together and perform at concerts and live events. He continued with his singing career until his health gave out in 2009.
Illness and Death
Given the deteriorating condition of his health, Josky returned to Kinshasa in 2011.
Despite having left the stage, he continued to give interviews.
He died on 7th March, 2021, while receiving treatment at Ngaliema Clinic after years of a series of ailments.
