Obituary: Rudy Gomis (1946-2022)

In 1970, the 23-year-old singer Rudy Gomis  and a bunch of other talented musicians from all over Senegal came together to form Orchestra Baobab as the house band at Dakar’s Club Baobab. Born Rudolphe Clément Gomis in Casamance, he had already come to attention singing with the Star Band, the first of Senegal’s great post-independence dance orchestras, but it was with Baobab that he was to make an indelible mark on African music.

Over the next 17 years, Baobab perfected a unique blend of salsa, griot tradition, Afro-pop and an after-hours nightclub ambience of lilting, mellifluous rhythms. With the band enjoying huge success across West Africa, Gomis wrote and sang many of the group’s most popular tracks, including ‘Utrus Horas’ and ‘Coumba’​.

The band broke up in 1987 as musical tastes in Dakar changed and the thrilling dance rhythms of mbalax and Youssou N’Dour wiped out all competition. Gomis founded a language school in Dakar which he ran until 2002 when World Circuit’s Nick Gold and N’Dour – the latter a huge fan of the band despite his role in their demise – convinced Baobab to reform and record Specialist in All Styles, their first album in 15 years.

Two further albums followed combining French charm, Cuban elegance, African roots and Senegalese humour with Gomis and the band subsequently touring the world. Ill-health meant he was unable to take part in Baobab's more recent tours but he remained a key contributor, appearing on the group’s 2017 album Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng, while also taking part in the celebrations commemorating Baobab’s 50th anniversary in 2020.