Equator Records
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Equator Records or Equator Sound Studios was originally known as East African Records, owned by Afcot Ltd, situated in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1960, Charles Worrod launched Equator Sound Studios Ltd. along with the Equator Sound Band. Legendary Kenyan musician Fadhili William became a member of the band alongside Adolf Banyoro, Peter Tsotsi, Nashil Pichen, Charles Ssongo, Gabriel Omolo, and Daudi Kabaka.
Fadhili and the Jambo Boys Band recorded a number of songs with East African Records between 1959 and 1962. The other band members were Harrison William, Joseph Nazareth, Mumba Charo (Fadhili's brother), Nahshon Gandani, Samuel Lefondo and Sheila Monroe.
Equator Sound Studios, under direction from Worrod at that point, marketed and produced Fadhili's world-famous Swahili love-ballad, Malaika, after Worrod realised that the original poorly-recorded Malaika could have international appeal.
Malaika had initially been recorded by Jambo Boys, with Konde serving as the studio engineer.
Worrod, the man who created the "African Twist" and would have guided many more of the country’s musicians and songwriters to international fame, left Kenya in 1974 because the law barred him from engaging in the recording business unless he was a citizen. When he left, the recording and promotion of music in Kenya was thrown into disarray. After a while, Fadhili too left, for the USA, where he lived for 15 years.
[edit] New Equator Records
In 2006 a new record label was founded by members of the band Islands, which is also called Equator Records. It is also known as Equator Music, but is not to be confused with the management company Equator Music that looks after guitarists Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi. This new label is based in Montreal, and has three releases so far, Islands' Return to the Sea, the The Lovely Feathers debut album Hind Hind Legs, and Teitur's sophomore release Stay Under the Stars. There is no connection between the two labels.
