Boy Gé Mendes
Encyclopedia
Gerard Mendes, better known as Boy Gé Mendes is a Cape Verdean
musician. He was born in Dakar, Senegal and was raised in the city's Cape Verdean diaspora
community. As a child, he grew up in a household filled with the sounds of the native morna
and coladeira. But he was also exposed to the music of his adopted land and to the music of Mali
, Guinea
and other west African countries. His early music career even included singing rock, rhythm & blues, and Cuban music, which were all popular genres in Senegal at the time. Mendes eventually settled in France
where he teamed up with his brother Jean-Claude, Manu Lima, and Luis Silva to form Cabo Verde Show, one of the most popular Cape Verdean bands of all time.
Mendes has travelled widely, which is reflected in his musical output. His influences derive from the popular music of the United States, Brazil
and West Africa
. His 1998 album Lagoa (Lagoon) is considered one of his best.
Cape Verdean
Cape Verdean may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Cape Verde* A person from Cape Verde, or of Cape Verdean descent. For information about the Cape Verdean people, see Demographics of Cape Verde and Culture of Cape Verde. For specific persons, see List of Cape Verdeans.*...
musician. He was born in Dakar, Senegal and was raised in the city's Cape Verdean diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
community. As a child, he grew up in a household filled with the sounds of the native morna
Morna
The morna is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde.Lyrics are usually in Cape Verdean Creole, and instrumentation often includes cavaquinho, clarinet, accordion, violin, piano and guitar...
and coladeira. But he was also exposed to the music of his adopted land and to the music of Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
and other west African countries. His early music career even included singing rock, rhythm & blues, and Cuban music, which were all popular genres in Senegal at the time. Mendes eventually settled in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he teamed up with his brother Jean-Claude, Manu Lima, and Luis Silva to form Cabo Verde Show, one of the most popular Cape Verdean bands of all time.
Mendes has travelled widely, which is reflected in his musical output. His influences derive from the popular music of the United States, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. His 1998 album Lagoa (Lagoon) is considered one of his best.