🎤 Richard Bona

About

Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967 in Minta, Cameroon) is a Grammy-winning bassist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who blends West African traditions with jazz, funk, and Afro-Cuban music. He grew up in a family of musicians - his grandfather was a griot and percussionist, his mother a singer - and taught himself bass after moving to Douala as a child. After years in Paris working with Manu Dibango and Salif Keita, he relocated to New York in 1995, joined Joe Zawinul's Syndicate, and built a reputation as one of the most sought-after session bassists in the world. His solo debut Scenes from My Life (1999) launched a prolific recording career, and he has since collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Stevie Wonder, and many others.