Bimi Ombale was born Andre Bimi Ombale on the(21 July 1952- 29 April 2011) was a Congolese singer, vocalist, drummer and song writer. An all time best songwriter of Zaiko Langa Langa 1969-1988 with over fifty songs.
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He joined the band Zaiko in 1969 as a drummer for the pop section of the group. Bimi Ombale joined Zaiko two days before the band first public performance, brought in by "Vieux Otis" who was a friend to the founding members of Zaiko. Before joining Zaiko Bimi Ombale was a drummer for the rhythm and blues and pop band Zezes (1968-1969). Bimi Ombale also known as Mwana Wabi was a modest person, discreet but very difficult to live or work with because he could throw his tantrum to anyone without exception, he was the ultimate anti star. After his first two years with the band as a pop drummer Bimi Ombale took a decision that will change his life completely, first he decided to become to move from the drummer to the singer and from pop music to Soukouss. On that era Zaiko had four well establish singers namely Jossart Nyoka Longo, Jules Shungu Wembadio, Anto Evoloko Atshuamo and Simeon Mavuela Somo, those singers will strongly oppose the idea of Bimi Ombale becoming a singer and will not let him sing any song, not even his own. Disappointed Bimi Ombale will leave the band Zaiko to join Tabou National in 1971, a band started by Tonny Dee who was one of Bimi Ombale idole from the time he was doing his music in Belgium. Soon after Tabou National started performing DV Muanda on of the founding member of Zaiko will bring him back into Zaiko. He stays at Tabou National will be of some months only. This time Andre Bimi was imposed to the band by DV Muanda but the rest of the singers still had a problem with him and this time it was about is tantrum and very difficult character. Although still isolated from the rest of the singers, Andre Bimi decided to concentrate his efforts in what he does best, songs writing. Bimi will have his first song recorded in 1971, Joliba received a favorable review and huge airplay. In 1972 Andre Bimi will release Josee-Lina and Mwanza to a mixed review. But the year 1972 will be the year Zaiko broke to the mean stream notably with the song Consolation of Efonge Gina which will be crowned best song of the year. The following year will be a dramatic year for the band and Andre Bimi, Zaiko is now a mean stream band and their songs were toppling the charts. Zaiko was revolutionizing the youth music through the rhythm Cavacha and in 1973 Mbeya Mbeya of Anto Evoloko was the best song of the year, and Anto Evoloko himself became the leading man of the band and Andre Bimi's song Zena will be among the biggest release of the year. Now in 1974 with Anto Evoloko as the leading man in the band, Anto Evoloko will surround himself with his favorites man notably Jules Shungu, Efonge Gina and Simeon Mavuela thus refusing to share the stage with Jossart Nyoka and Andre Bimi. Zaiko was now dominating the youth music in Zaire his singers had a star status. Anto Evoloko received again the best song of the year with Eluzam but on the other side Andre Bimi and Jossart Nyoka could not perform to their best as they were isolated, you needed four voices in a song and they were only the two of them, and during live performances out of fifteen songs they will appear only in three or four. Unless to be discourage Andre Bimi will decide once again to do what he does best, writing songs. Andre Bimi and Jossart Nyoka will start rehearsing at Andre Bimi family home, and coming out of their collaboration will be Mwana Wabi and Mizou which will be hugely acclaimed,and Andre Bimi will be the second musician of Zaiko after Anto Evoloko to receive a car as a present from his producer for the best selling of his songs. All the instrumentalists of Zaiko were against the supremacist attitude and bad character of Anto Evoloko and his group, so building from the success of Andre Bimi songs, sing without Anto Evoloko and his group, they knew that they could make it without them. Teddy Sukami who was a guitarist in the band will rally all the instrumentalists behind Andre Bimi and Jossart Nyoka, they decided to get rid off Anto Evoloko with his group.
In that beginning of the year 1975 it was the biggest musical event of the year, no one could imagine Zaiko without Anto Evoloko and his group, and everyone was unanimous that that was the end of Zaiko, Zaiko will not survive without his stars. Zaiko went into rehearsal at Nsele in the outskirt of Kinshasa and the band was rebuild around Andre Bimi and Jossart Nyoka with new recruit like Lengi Lenga, Redo Likinga and Mashakado Mbuta. Zaiko will come with beautiful songs like Lisapo of Andre Bimi, Nalali pongi of Jossart Nyoka, Bely Mashakado of Mashakado Mbuta and Elo of Teddy Sukami which wiil be crowned best song of the year. Zaiko will come out so strong with the dance Choc-Choquer that they will simply continue where they left of in 1974 on the other side Anto Evoloko and his group will never recover from that Zaiko domination so much that in less than a year Jules Shungu, Simeon Mavuela and Bozi Boziana will leave Isifi Lokole the band that they have started to go and start Yoka Lokole thus leaving Anto Evoloko alone at Isifi Lokole. Bimi Ombale will become the creative engine of Zaiko, writing song after song and Nyoka Longo will be it number one stage performer. Once again Bimi Ombale will be challenge in his position in the band, this time by Mashakado Mbuta. The rivalry between Bimi Ombale and Mashakado Mbuta will shake the foundation on which Pepe Manuaku and Teddy Sukami were rebuilding the band Zaiko Langa Langa. Mashakado Mbuta who was the showman in the band rebelled to the fact the band was build around Bimi Ombale and Nyoka Longo, he strongly believed that the band should be build around him, so he set into challenging the two other and concentrating on Bimi Ombale as Nyoka Longo had a seniority as he was a singer since the founding of the band. The showdown in their rivalry came at the end of 1975 during a live recording of the band at the Zairian National TV studio. On that specific day the whole country will see the rivalry playing live on TV, with the two singers fighting for microphone and refusing to sing and dance at each other songs. Mashakado Mbuta will give Bimi Ombale hard time on that end of 1975 to beginning of 1976, but Mashakado Mbuta did not bank with the resilient spirit of Bimi Ombale who will concentrate in singing and writing songs and at the end Mashakado Mbuta exasperate will decide to leave Zaiko Langa Langa and join the other showmen at Yoka Lokole. Surrounded only with singers that he had high esteem and under the guidance of Pepe Manuaku and Teddy Sukami, Bimi Ombale and Zaiko Langa Langa will enter the most artistically creative years in their history. Bimi Ombale will rise one more time to the challenge on writing songs and singing. Bimi Ombale will release songs that are considered as all time classic of Zaiko Langa Langa, namely among others Ima, Likamuisi, Aziza, Moni Amina, Amitie, Lolita, Misolina and more. Now Zaiko Langa Langa were at their all time high, the harmony and cordiality in the band was at all time high, Bimi Ombale was doing what it does best without hindrance, he was the hit maker. Zaiko Langa Langa will end the year 1979 in beauty the same way they started the year 1975 with the best song of the year Sentiment Awa of Nyoka Longo.
The year 1980 will be one of those dramatic year for Bimi Ombale and Zaiko Langa Langa, the band has reach stability, it creative juice is overflowing and it dominance of Zairian youth music is uncontested. As a result of Zaiko Langa Langa dominance, the singers that refused to share the stage with Bimi Ombale and Nyoka Longo in 1974 will all line up one by one to return to the band. Efonge Gina will return first in 1976 to leave again in 1977, Bozi Boziana will return in 1977, Mashakado Mbuta will return in 1978, Jules Shungu will apply to return in 1977 but will later change his mind and Anto Evoloko will return at the end of 1979. Zaiko Langa Langa will add two more singers Sheikedan and Yenga Yenga Junior. At the beginning of 1980 the front side of Zaiko Langa Langa was completely over crowded with the classic four Bimi Ombale, Nyoka Longo, Lengi Lenga and Redo Likinga who had sail the band peacefully and magisterially and add the new comers Bozi Boziana, Mashakado Mbuta, Sheikedan, Anto Evoloko and Yenga Yenga Junior. With nine singers the atmosphere in the band was completely polluted, just like in 1974-1975 the band was divided in camp and most band members preferred to release their songs out of the band than with the band. Fearing that what they have build patiently for the last five years was destined for another break up, Bimi Ombale, Nyoka Longo, Teddy Sukami and DV Muanda the last remaining founder of the band decided to suspend all the singers and requested all to reapply for their position. Pepe Manuaku who was the achitect of that Zaiko Langa Langa with a multitude of singers and who was the head of the band, took an exception because he was not consulted and decided in 1980 to leave the band that he has been a member and head since it creation. Pepe Manuaku strongly believe that beside the classic four, all the other singer will follow him. But to his amazement only Sheikedan and Yenga Yenga Junior will follow him. Anto Evoloko and Bozi Boziana who have never forgive Pepe Manuaku for agreeing on their firing in 1975, gave Pepe Manuaku all indications that they were with him only to drop him at the end. Mashakado Mbuta disappointed with music will decide to emigrate in Europe and he will be follow by Teddy Sukami. With Pepe Manuaku and Teddy Sukami gone, Zaiko Langa Langa was now under the leadership of Nyoka Longo and Bimi Ombale. Bimi Ombale got back to work and come back with some smashing hit like Cherie Bwabi, Kinshasa makambo and La blonde. Zaiko Langa Langa was again on top, and prove on more time that it can survive anyone, everyone and everything thus the band was now called Tout choc Anti choc Zaiko Langa Langa. Zaiko Langa Langa will end that trouble era of 1980-1981 again with the best song of the year 1981 Fievre Mondo of Anto Evoloko.
The year 1981 will end with the departure of Anto Evoloko followed by his close friend Bozi Boziana. After the tremendous success of Fievre Mondo, Anto Evoloko will revert to his old behaviors of coming late to concerts, challenging the natural order of the band and claiming to whoever will listen that he was the reason of the success of Zaiko Langa Langa. But his timing was just wrong, considering that the band was under the leadership of Nyoka Longo and Bimi Ombale and the two were not prepare to tolerate Anto Evoloko bad behaviors, he will be isolated and Nyoka Longo and Bimi Ombale will simply give him back his old treatment in that he was performing only three to four songs in a concert. That will trigger his suddenly departure. Now that the band has reverted to his most successful skeleton all eyes were turn toward Bimi Ombale to come up with hit to get the band going again. Bimi Ombale will rise once again to the occasion and release one after another songs that will take Zaiko Langa Langa to the summit of their glory. Bimi Ombale will release among others Mopaya zoba, Baby, Elima ngando, Loli Andi, Sandralina, Fanny moke, Nibe ya bomwana etc... Zaiko Langa Langa was this time again on top of their game, they were ruling the Zairian musical scene without compromise and Zaiko Langa Langa went into conquering the world. Zaiko Langa Langa was touring Africa and Europe again and again and was the first Zairian band to perform in Asia Japan. The result was the release of Nippon Banzai which will sell more than any other Zairian music release. The success of the band was so huge that it started intimidating other band, other band and singers started spreading rumors as Zaiko Langa Langa success was not out of hard work but as a result of African voodoo or western secret society power. Zaiko Langa Langa will not shy away from the controversy but will rather add the words Eyi nkisi, eyi magie to specify that they accept it all, and will not stop. Bimi Ombale was reaping the reward of years of hard work and his resilience has made him a winner.
In 1988, Zaiko Langa Langa was split up into Zaiko Langa Langa Nkolo Mboka, and Zaiko Langa Langa Familia Dei. Bimi Ombale lead the latter.[1]