King Ibu

Ibu hails from Podor, a small town in Senegal, Afrika. Ibu picked up the guitar at the age of twelve, starting a special relationship with music. Self taught, he studies music like one would study a language. Very early he found himself surrounded by various styles of music from Pulaar rhythms to American Blues and R&B.

"I remember listening to James Brown, Otis Redding without knowing what they were saying...there was a time I was nicknamed Wilson W. Pickett," Ibu says. "I had to focus on being an A student most of my youth, but music has always been a passion of mine. When I knew how to play few chords I started writing songs and accompanying other friends who used to sing with me. We would sit in front of the house and play till late at night."

"When my studies took me first to Saint Louis and then to Dakar, I started dreaming of a career as a musician. I played in few bands in Saint Louis. When I was at the university I played in the band. The biggest thrill was, when the band played live on national television on a show called "Boulevard" hosted by Khalil Gueye."

In 1996 Ibu moved to Los Angeles,CA. He first started a band named Goree. The group played a fusion type style of music with Ibu on bass and vocals. Later on he focused more on studio work and studying engineering/production. Since the release of his first solo album Gaynde in 2001, Ibu has been performing solo acoustic shows, with his band or backing up other musicians at the Mirage, Bellagio and Alladin casinos in Las Vegas. Ibu Ba is currently recording his second album.