Kowkanda Downloads

Born in the diamond-rich country of Sierra Leone, West Africa, Ronald Garber (aka KowKanda) has had a fascination for music from a very early age. He began listening to the sounds of Miriam Makeba, Jimmy Cliff and Otis Redding as well as other international artists on the air. Radio transmission... Learn More »

Born in the diamond-rich country of Sierra Leone, West Africa, Ronald Garber (aka KowKanda) has had a fascination for music from a very early age. He began listening to the sounds of Miriam Makeba, Jimmy Cliff and Otis Redding as well as other international artists on the air. Radio transmission combined with the reminiscent sounds of his grandmother's singing ability, reinforced his persistence in pursuing a music career. When he was a teenager, one of Sierra Leone's best known female vocalists of the time was Patricia Abu Bakaar. She was the first to hand him the microphone and eventually he landed himself a position in the Afro National Band and later the Military Dance Band. Actively performing at various venues throughout the country, Garber had the rare opportunity to entertain for President Momoh of Sierra Leone. Nicknamed "KOWKANDA" by his grandfather, the African meaning exemplifies his personality. A tough,determined exterior and at the same time possessing an inner gentleness. With a chance to join family members already living in Canada, Kow Kanda decided to make a move and settled in Toronto in 1986. Adjusting to a completely different culture, including the first sight of snow, Kow Kanda continued his musical career by forming a Toronto-based band and also pursuing his interest in becoming a professional certified cook. Performing live throughout Toronto by night and cooking by day, Kow Kanda felt that burning the midnight oil was not the way to give 100% to his intended focus of singing. In 1996, he moved to the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Shortly after arriving on the west coast, he met European-born Eric Vijfhuizen. Vijfhuizen (meaning five-houses in Dutch) was the manager for a busy travel agency. Also, with an interest in music and the ethnic club scene, Eric decided to combine his creative marketing, management and tourism experience together with Kow Kanda's musical talent and together they explored the world to research various countries to launch a new concept for Kow Kanda. It was on a trip to Venezuela where Eric first heard a hint of Kow Kanda's two and a half octave range while singing for a group of tourists. At that point Eric decided to head to Africa to record Kow Kanda's debut CD. In 1999 "Blind Faith" a ten track afropop disc was recorded in Ghana and released in Canada. A fusion of traditional African, reggae and pop music formats served as a stepping stone for future projects. The CD captured airplay in various geographic pockets around the world, from Australia and Aruba to U.S. radio markets in Washington, Hawaii and Michigan. Following the release of "Blind Faith" Vijfhuizen & Garber formed a band also named Kow Kanda, comprised of six African and Canadian musicians, the band entertained audiences for the next five years. Encore after encore led to the next venture, a new CD and a new image. Released on January 1, 2006. The new CD named "GBENGBEH" (which means "hot" in the Sierra-Leonean language of Temne) explains in a word the vibrant new sounds of Afropop music. Recorded in Sierra Leone with a newly formed band, the 10 track disc offers a remake of four original songs which proved popular on the debut CD. Handpicked African talent create a melodious uptempo sound unique to West Africa. Rhythm guitars and a host of native instruments such as a tumba and sangba play together at the command of Kow Kanda's voice. A deliverance of rich energetic sounds balance perfectly to deliver first-class entertainment for listeners of all backgrounds and ages. 2006 will be an exciting year for the band Kow Kanda. Whether you see Kow Kanda live or purchase the new CD, excitement is guaranteed...be prepared to dance!
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