Ray Lema

Congolese pianist, guitarist and songwriter Ray Lema started out life with aspirations to enter the priesthood. He began his schooling in a White Fathers seminary who recognised and encouraged his obvious musical talent. The seminary gave him a classical schooling in music until he left at the age of 18 to study chemistry. At university he developed a more cosmopolitan taste in music listening to artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. After completing his education his love of music led him to becoming an ethnomusicologist, travelling through his homeland recording the indigenous music of the Congo. He became the director of the National Ballet of Zaire in 1974 before forming his own band Ya Tupas. He recorded his first album in 1982 in the US, 'Koteja', before relocating to France in the same year. His arrival in Europe coincided with the rising interest in world music and by 1989 he had been signed by Mango Records, a subsidiary of Island Records. Lema has since become a major figure in world music and has collaborated with artists of the calibre of Stewart Copeland. He is now an established composer and has written operas, film scores and has appeared at festivals throughout the world.

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