Biography

Benin musician Gnonnas Pedro born on 10th January 1943, real names: Gnonnan Sossou Pierre Kouassivi, was a singer-songwriter, salsero and performer born in Lokossa, Benin.

Gnonnas Pedro had always excelled in many styles of music but if one had to associate him with a particular genre it would be Agbadja. Agbadja is a rhythm hugely popular in Togo, Benin and Ghana, and is used mainly during burial ceremonies. It is based on three percussions, each one of them with a different tone.

Agbadja was born in and dominates a region called Le Mono in the center of Benin and also the birthplace of Gnonnas Pedro. Gnonnas adopted and modernized the rhythm in the mid-1960s calling it “Agbadja Moderne”. It became his trademark and he was soon dubbed “Le Roi du Rhythme Agbadja.” In addition to Agbadja, he also played highlife and juju.

Pedro led his own bands Pedro y sus Panchos, later reforming as Gnonnas Pedro and his Dadjes Band, before joining the long-lived Orchestre Poly-rythmo de Cotonou. He sang in many different languages, including Minad, Adja, Yoruba, French, English, and Spanish.

Gnonnas Pedro became well-known internationally as the lead singer of Africando between 1995 and 2004.

Gnonnas Pedro died August 12, 2004 in a hospital in Cotonu, Benin