From Library Journal
Western popular music has been a strong presence in urban Africa for decades. As African musicians (the "goodtime kings" of the title) adopted this music for the city dance halls, they slowly transformed it, combining traditional instruments with Western ones and adding regional tribal rhythms to the sound. The resultant African pop has begun to influence Western pop, completing the cycle. Bergman covers eight regional styles, concentrating on their key artists. He sets the scene with descriptions of the musicians' lives and performances, and gives a brief historical background for each style. Goodtime Kings is a fine listener's guideclear, concise, accurate but nontechnical, and up-to-date. Recommended for popular music and world music collections. Mark H. Sullivan, Univ. of Detroit Lib.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
