Boy G Mendes
Born in 1952 in Dakar, Gérard Mendes grew up in the center of the city, among friends from Mali, Senegal, Guiné-Bissau, and Cabo Verde. His love of song began in Catholic school, after which point he began performing at local festivals and fairs. Later, he developed his artistry doing covers of artists like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Bob Marley, and exploring salsa and r&b.
In 1967, he founded his first band with one of his brothers; with this move, he began to stir up Senegal’s concert and festival scene. Gérard Mendes soared out of his anonymity as his talent began to be recognized. In 1977, with his brother Jean-Claude, as well as Luis Silva and Emanuel Lima, he formed Cabo Verde Show, which became known as a musical standard of excellence in the diaspora communities of Paris and Holland.
His time with Cabo Verde Show was determinative. The success of his compositions in the Cape Verdean Crioulo language brought him to create a new project with his brother: the group Mendes e Mendes. Three albums later, he left the city of Paris and moved to Nice in 1983.
In 1990 came the transformation: Gérard Mendes became Boy G. Mendes, a childhood nickname; in Dakar, “boy” was what they called all the youngsters from his neighborhood. Boy G. Mendes recorded “Grito De Bo Fidge” [Your Son’s Cry], which became Cabo Verdean music’s first big hit outside of the community. After two years of concerts, Boy G. decided to take a break; the desire to travel and discover the world had been sparked within him. He took in influences from Brazil, New York, Senegal, and Cabo Verde, and created new compositions with his guitar. This was how his eighth album, Lagoa, was born – a profound reflection towards an intimacy with, towards the essence of nature. After the release of the album, Boy G. Mendes left Nice and moved to Cabo Verde.
With Mindelo as a jumping-off point, he was able to encounter his Cabo Verde in Santo Antão. In its fertile terrain he found serenity, favorable to meditation and creation; eventually, the island inspired him to compose Noite de Morabeza [Night of Morabeza], which he recorded in Paris in the spring of 1999. The influences for this album are rich and flavorful, ranging from the music of Cabo Verde, to jazz, to Brazilian and Caribbean sounds. Its guest artists are equally abundant: Mario Canonge, Thierry and Jean-Philipe Fanfant, Xavier Descendre, Alan Hoist, Bago, Ravi Magnifique, and Manu Lima, among others. Noite de Morabeza is a sweet, sensual album, which invokes an elegant musical climate.
After recording this album, Boy G. Mendes dedicated himself to composing for other artists; his son Mika Mendes is one that benefited from his talent. Alongside the celebrated musician Sara Tavares, he toured across Europe. He shared his diversified musical knowledge with everyone; his harmonic and melodic inventiveness can be traced to Brazilian influence from Gilberto Gil and Tom Jobim, as well as the wealth of jazz repertoire that makes up the Blue Note catalog. One example of this is his song “Beijo de Longe,” an ode to São Vicente which was later immortalized by the Cabo Verdean diva, Cesária Évora. In 2014, this same tune was interpreted by the Cuban icon Gloria Estefan and the legendary Carlos Santana, on Santana’s last album, Corazón.
Boy G.’s creative process continues. Today he possesses a vast repertoire of new and unedited music yet to be shared. The time has arrived to joyfully reawaken the magic in this wandering soul, which has travelled the world in search of the most compelling melodies to inspire us all.
