Guelewar was founded in Banjul, The Gambia in 1970. Originally called The Alligators, they were led by musical star Bai Janha, a central figure in the Gambian musical community during the 1970s. In 1972, the band decided to incorporate more local musical styles, using the 21-stringed Kora. The group also incorporated the sabar drums, an indigenous instrument which beats out a rhythmic style known as Mbalax. This style of dance music was later internationalized by Senegalese star Youssou N’Dour. In keeping with this shift to incorporate more local influences, the group changed their name from the English ‘Alligator’ to Guelewar. In 1975, bandleader Janha left the group to join rival band Ifang Bondi. Moussa Ngom was brought in as the new lead singer, with his cousin Laye Ngom as bandleader and arranger. Moussa began his singing career as part of the melancholy circumcision rituals and celebrations traditional to the Gambian countryside. As part of Guelewar, he chose to sing in Wolof as opposed to English. This LP, taken from a live concert at the Canari Club de Kaurack in Senegal, is the last recording we have of Guelewar. The group disbanded in 1983. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.