Getachew Kassa
Getachew Kassa was an Ethiopian jazz singer and percussionist. He rose to famous during the 1960s and 1970s, after performing at the country's famous clubs, the Sombrino and Axum Hall. His music features in the Éthiopiques album series, alongside other musicians of the Ethiopian Golden Age.
Early life
Getachew Kassa was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire on 6 September 1944. He began singing at the age of six, despite being discouraged by his parents. During this stage, Getachew liked an Italian song named "Azemerina". He began pleasing his parents and changed his actual surname to "Kassa". Later, he occasionally started to sing for his friends and at home.Kassa’s musical voyage began in the bustling streets of Addis Ababa’s Mercato area. Despite facing familial resistance, his love for music was undeniable. From singing popular Italian songs to imitating iconic singers like Elvis Presley and Harry Belafonte, Kassa’s early experiences forged a path for his musical career. His determination led him to adopt his stage name, “Kassa,” inspired by a suggestion from a friend, marking the start of a legendary journey.
Career
As a young man, he started playing with a band called Fetan Band – or Speed Band – at the Patrice Lumumba Bar in Wube Berha in the 1970s. Getachew established himself as one of the most accomplished Ethiopian musicians of the period. Notable songs include "Addis Ababa", "Tiz Balegn Gize", "Yekereme Fikir", "Bertucan nesh lomi" "Bichayan Tekze" "Agere Tizitash". He played for various groups, such as the Sehebelles, the Venus Band, and later with the Walias Band, alongside Hailu Mergia and Girma Bèyènè. His songs "Tezata Slow" and "Fast" were featured on the album Éthiopiques, Vol. 10: Ethiopian Blues & Ballads. Kassa was hired to play the accordion for 15 birr a night at The Sombrino club, a popular venue in the 1960s and 1970s. While working there, he met the prominent singer Alemayehu Eshete and performed many of his singles. Subsequently, he moved to another famous club called Axum Hall, playing for Venus Club and Taytu Hotel, thereafter quickly rose to fame, in part due to his fast and slow tezeta songs.Kassa moved to the United States in 1981, and lived there for many years. In the mid-1980s, he toured through country and drew attention to the fate of the people who had been struck by the famine in Ethiopia. After publishing his first CD in 1983, he briefly returned to Ethiopia, before again living in the U.S. from 1991. His self-image as a "world citizen" brought him the status of an illegal immigrant. He returned to live in Ethiopia in 2012.
In 2000, Ethio-Sound released an album The Best of Getachew Kassa, a 12 track CD of his greatest works throughout his career. Kassa was a part of the Stay Strong Project's Stay Strong Orchestra alongside Alemayehu Eshete and a songwriter and singer.