Sam Fan Thomas

Sam Fan Thomas started his career at the end of the 1960s, when he joined André-Marie Tala's group Les Tigres Noires. In 1976, he left the group and went to Cotonou (Bénin) where he recorded his first album, Funky New Bell, with the Santiagos of Cotonou. In 1977, he came back to Cameroon to record a second album. His first hit was "Rikiatou," and in 1984, "African Typic Collection" became an international hit. After a long silence, he came back on Africa's dance floors with "Emotion" in 1993. Beyond that, he is the producer of many Cameroonian artists and has a recording studio of his own in Douala.

Cameroon has been a longtime and significant contributor to world popular music culture. From the Soul Makossa of Manu Dibango to the Makassi of Sam Fan Thomas.

The 1984 hit "Africa Typic Collection" put Sam Fan Thomas at the forefront of the Afro-Pop wave and has given the Makossa style some of its most enduring compositions. —Courtesy Calabash Music