Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah (African Head Charge)

Today’s guest just makes me smile. It’s percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah from African Head Charge. He grew up in Jamaica and began playing drums in the Rasta camps and Poco churches. He was running away a lot and sleeping in graveyards. Music helped him get out of those bad situations. He really connected with it and started helping out bands as a young kid, even becoming an unofficial roadie. He got a gig with The Foundations of Build Me Up Buttercup fame. All of this helped him start African Head Charge. Bonjo tells me how the band started and what African Head Charge means. He also tells me who gave him the name Bonjo. The band began as a studio project but he was eventually asked to take the music on the road. Unfortunately, his drums were stolen and he couldn’t. But that led to a great future relationship. It also led to him playing the main stage at Glastonbury. Bonjo’s DIY approach and his hard work with African Head Charge unintentionally pissed people off. After years of hard work, Bonjo moved to Ghana and took some time off; twelve years to be precise. But now Bonjo is back with a new African Head Charge album, A Trip To Bolgatanga. It changes his sound slightly and focuses on African drumming from Ghana. He’s got some special guests on it like King Ayisoba, Skip McDonald, and Doug Wimbish. Pick it up on Bandcamp, On U Sound, or wherever you get music. Follow Bonjo @africanheadcharge on social media. Check us out @PerformanceAnx on X or whatever Twitter is now, and Instagram. Send us some coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or buy a shirt or something at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now let’s get irie with Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah of African Head Charge on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices