In 1969 a young boy who had just finished his secondary education in Kenya, returned to his home town Tanga. Soon after he formed a band and named it The Soul Flames. At the time youngsters all over the country were forming bands playing soul music cover songs by the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, Sam and Dave, Sam Cooke, Clarence Carter and other then great stars. These bands had more than often names like The Famous Flames, The JBs, The Comets, The Sparks, The Groovemakers, The Barkeys, The Barlocks and so on.
The Soul Flames soon made a name for
itself among the already established bands like the Atomic Jazz Band, Jamhuri Jazz Band, Ricco Jazz
Band and Doldrums Band, Amboni Jazz Band etc.
Tanga apart from being famous for rumba music bands, also had the Taarab music groups which played in the
"shungwaya” rumba rhythm Melody, who made this town the giant of
Taarab music in mainland East Africa up to the Indian ocean islands of Comoro.
The young boy who started the The Soul Flames was called Kassim Baaliy
El Siagi, at the time he was better known by his ‘aka’ Jocker Brown. Members of The Soul Flames at the time included the late Mabrouk Hamis (Babu Njenje) on
the drums, Jumbe Magerrow playing the
Lead Guitar, Mohamed Mrisho (who is now the Lead Guitarist of The Kilimanjaro
Band, was then the band bassist, Mohamed Msimbazi was on the rhythm guitar and
Jocker Brown was the band’s lead vocalist.
Jocker Brown who was very much influenced by Kenyan singers like Sal Davis, Ismail
Jingo, Kali The Bushman, made the Soul Flames music be centered mostly
into soul music. Oh yes those were great days in Tanga
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| From Left: Jumbe Magerrow, partly hidden Mohamed Msimbazi and Mohamed Mrisho, Sal Hero and behind the microphone is Jocker Brown (1970) |
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