Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta


Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta is a musician, composer, band leader, record producer, and music-business leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While renowned as a talented and prolific musician, he is probably even more noteworthy as "the first indigenous African to own a record label" and for introducing many major Congolese artists to the world through his Veve recording studio and label.

Biography

He was born as Georges Kiamuangana in Kisantu, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 19 May 1944. He came from a wealthy family; his father was a businessman in Leopoldville. He learned music in the church. As a saxophonist, he adopted the name Verckys based on American saxophone player King Curtis, hearing the name "Curtis" as "Verckys."
He was once a member of the soukous band TPOK Jazz, led by François Luambo Makiadi, which dominated the Congolese music scene from the 1950s through the 1980s.
In 1969, Verckys Kiamuangana left TPOK Jazz and formed his own band, Orchestre Vévé. Verkys also managed two other bands, which he owned: Orchestre Kiam and Orchestre Lipua Lipua. Among the musicians who played for Verkys in the 1970s are Nyboma Mwandido and Pepe Kalle. During the early 1980s Verckys quit the music scene, to pursue other interests.
In 2015, Sterns Music released in MP3 form much of the output of Verckys's Éditions Vévé record label.

Discography

;Compilations
;Contributing artist