ግልጽ ያልሆነ ጉድጓድ: Tlahoun Gèssèssè

"Tlahoun Gèssèssè (ጥላሁን ገሠሠ), known across Ethiopia and Sudan as "The Voice," first came to stardom at age 18 when he joined the Imperial Bodyguard Band.  Passionate performances as lead singer for the band would often end with tears streaked across his face.  His thinly veiled protest songs put him in hot water with Emperor Haile Selassie and he was thrown into prison when the Imperial Bodyguard attempted a coup d'tat in 1960.  He was eventually released when growing opposition against the Emperor forced him to adopt a more tolerant attitude to the music and night life of the capital city. Tlahoun Gèssèssè went on to become Ethiopia's most popular singer in the "swinging Addis Ababa years" of the 60s and 70s.

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•  More ጥላሁን ገሠሠ you crave here, here, & here.

• The Ethiopiques series has made Tlahoun Gèssèssè's music widely available in the West for the first time.

• Minyahel Tlahoun followed in his father's footsteps and became a star when he was still a teenager.