El Rego

Théophile do Rego, also known by the pseudonym El Rego, was born on May 3, 1938 in the Sado district of Porto-Novo, Benin. He is considered one of the country's funk pioneers of the 1960s. He prematurely ended his studies and left the country, following a friend of his father, to settle in Senegal in 1949. Four years later, the young harmonica player joined a jazz band in Dakar, before returning to Benin for a short time, before moving on to Niger, where he played in the Los Cubanos orchestra. In 1959, the indefatigable traveler moved to Burkino Faso, where he joined the Conseil de l'Entente orchestra, Harmonie Voltaïque. There he rubbed shoulders with Miriam Makeba and Gilles Sala. In 1962, he returned to Benin, which had meanwhile become independent. In 1963, he formed his own group, The Jets, whose name evolved into Los Paras, then Los Commandos, then El Rego et ses commandos, in 1966. With him, he produced a landmark album, El Rego et Ses Commandos de Cotonou Rep Pop du Benin, in 1976, as well as a series of landmark singles: "Vive le renouveau", "Djobime", "Hessa", "Achuta", "Zon Dede", "Feeling You Good", " Vimado " and " Ah! Donne-moi ton sourire". In 1967, he won first prize in the Dahomey Musicians' Competition, and two years later, second prize in the same competition. On December 15, 1995, he was made a Knight of the Order of Merit of Benin.

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