Super Diamono or Super Diamono de Dakar, and later Omar Pène & Super Diamono and Omar Pene & Super Diamono de Dakar, was a ten-member band from Dakar, Senegal. It was formed in 1974 or 1975 Omar Pene was a founding-member, and the group was alternately led by the singers a=Mamadou Lamine Maïga and a=Musa Ngum. It started with traditional West African music, but quickly turned to an Afro-Cuban and pop-influenced sound. From 1977 they called their music "Mbalax-Blues". In 1979, Ismaël Lô, a co-founder of the group, rejoined the band as a guitar player, but soon left again for his solo career. Youssou N'Dour was also a member of the band which he joined when he was 15 years old. According to Billboard Magazine, it was Senegal's "first truly local pop ... read more