Mighty King Kong

Birth name| Paul Otieno Imbaya
Born| September 26, 1973
Siaya District, Kenya
Died| December 25, 2007(2007-12-25) (aged 34)
Nairobi, Kenya
Genres|

* Reggae
* Rocksteady & Ska

Occupation|

* Reggae Musician

Instrument| Vocals
Years active| 1999–2007
Labels| Next Level Studios

Musical artist

Paul Otieno Imbaya (26 September 1973 – 25 December 2007), better known for his stage name Mighty King Kong, was a reggae musician from Kenya. He was born in Ugenya, Siaya District.

As a child he suffered severe polio attack and was disabled from the waist down. He went to Ambira Primary School, but dropped out at Standard Six following the death of his father. He moved to Kisumu city where he became a street kid and beggar.[1]

In 1993 he moved to Nairobi. With the assistance of DJ Stone, a local deejay whom he had met in Kisumu, he was able to perform at Nairobi clubs on a weekly basis.[1]

Few years later he moved to Mombasa and performed with bands like Them Mushrooms and Pressmen. Later on, he moved to Kampala, Uganda to perform with the popular Simba Ngoma band. In Kampala he earned enough money to record his first album. He went back to Nairobi where his album, titled Ladies Choice, was produced by Maurice Oyando, father of RV and radio host Tallia Oyando, of the Next Level studios.[1] It was released in June 1999. His second album, Cinderella was released in 2001, again by Next Level studios.

His third album, Return of the King, was released in 2004. However, Mighty King Kong publicly blamed its contract of being exploitative.[2][3] In 2007, he released a compilation album "The Best of King Kong".[2]

Outside Kenya, he performed in Germany, Netherlands and South Africa.[4]

Above all, he was a die-hard supporter of Raila Odinga's ODM political movement which had promised to nominate him to the next parliament to represent the disabled persons of Kenya. He was seen dressed in orange colours as a sign of firm commitment to the party in his last days.

## Discography

[edit]

Album "The Best of the Mighty King Kong"

* R U ready?
* Cinderella Mama
* Right Direction
* African Leaders
* Give Me Your Love
* Man and Woman
* Stop Violence
* Wan Wadhi
* Life
* Ladies' Choice
* Mo' Rounds
* Oringo
* Celebration
* Cassanova Gal
* African Story

## Death

[edit]

He died on Christmas Day, 2007 at the age of 34, after being poisoned (as attributed in the local newspapers). He was transported to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, where he died as he was being treated. He was survived by his widow, Jackline Ouma,[5] and a child.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Karuoya, Njoki (2000). "Rags to Records - The reggae musician who started off as a street beggar in Kisumu". Nation FM. Archived from the original on 10 May 2000. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
2. ^ a b Orido, Fred (23 June 2007). "Mighty King Kong now poised to bounce back". Daily Nation. [permanent dead link]
3. ^ Nyanga, Caroline (22 February 2007). "Gone with the lyrics". The Standard. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
4. ^ "From grass to grace". Kenya Times. 19 March 2006. [permanent dead link]
5. ^ Orido, Fred (26 December 2007). "Curtain falls on singer Mighty King Kong". Daily Nation. [permanent dead link]
6. ^ Adero, Brian (26 December 2007). "'Mighty' King Kong passes on". The Standard. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

Other|

* Yale LUX