Jesus-Christ Ne Decoit Pas

Description

Jess Sah Bi is known as one half of the legendary duo Jess Sah Bi & Peter One, who introduced Country-Americana to West Africa with their debut album Our Garden Needs Its Flowers in the mid-1980s. Their music remains etched in the hearts of Ivorians of a certain age. In the early 1990s, Jesse fell gravely ill with an unknown disease and nearly died. He consulted several doctors and all kinds of religious healers, but nothing worked until he became a Christian. He recorded an album of music praising God in order to honor a promise he had made to himself in the depths of his despair. This album, Jesus-Christ Ne Déçoit Pas, was released in 1991. With the masters lost along the way, the recording was never available online. American musicians add acoustic guitars, percussion, and keyboards to Jesse's choruses in French and Gouro, his harmonica, and finger-picked acoustic guitar. Jesus-Christ Ne Déçoit Pas is Jess Sah Bi's first and only gospel album. Since the release of Jesus-Christ, gospel music in Côte d'Ivoire has become a key element of the country's musical culture.