The legendary percussionist Tony Allen, who is widely considered as one of the primary co-founders of the Afrobeat genre, has passed away aged 79, his manager Eric Trosset has confirmed. Tara Pilkington reports.
This morning tributes have been pouring in for pioneering Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, who has passed away in his home in Paris. Here, we take a look at some of his most memorable tracks.
- Go Back
- Every Season
- Never (Lagos Never Gonna Be the Same)
- Politely
- Secret Agent
Described by Brian Eno as: “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived”, Allen is best known for his work with multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, performing on essential albums such as 1975’s ‘Expensive Shit’ and ‘Zombie’ in 1976.
Allan also worked with and appeared on the recordings of tracks from artists such as Grace Jones and Charlotte Gainsbourg, and performed as part of the group The Good, the Bad & the Queen alongside Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon and Simon Tong.
As well as working with a range of popular artists, Allen also released a consistent stream of solo material, starting with his 1975 album ‘Jealousy’, and his last solo album ‘The Source’ which was released in 2017.
