As Gèssèssè's songwriting prowess evolved, his material grew increasingly provocative, and the 1960 smash "Altchalkoum" (I Can't Stand It), though ostensibly an ode to a failing romance, was perceived in many quarters as protest against the Selassie regime - at year's end, Gèssèssè was arrested and imprisoned, and while he was later released, several key members of the Imperial Bodyguard Band remained incarcerated, implicated in a failed coup d'état. After a few years in their ranks, the 17-year-old singer graduated to lead vocal duties with the prestigious Imperial Bodyguard Band, considered by historians to be one of the most innovative African groups of the postwar period.Īspiring vocalists in imperial Ethiopia had few choices but to align with an institutional band like those attached to the military or law enforcement authorities - the Imperial Bodyguard Band nevertheless proved a perfect fit for Gèssèssè's soulful vocals and impressive stylistic range, and their R&B-influenced energy and swagger remain an essential component of his creative and commercial success.
According to legend, Gèssèssè decided to run away back to Addis Ababa on the advice of Ato Eyoel Yohanes, a member of the theatrical troupe Hager Fikir Mahber. At 14, he was sent to live with his grandfather in nearby Waliso to attend the Ras Gobena Elementary School, during which time his interest in music flourished. Gèssèssè was born September 27, 1940, in Addis Ababa to an Amhara father and Oromo mother, a lineage that was essential to his pan-ethnic appeal. Tlahoun Gèssèssè was Ethiopia's premier pop singer during the era of Haile Selassie's reign as emperor - dubbed "the Voice," his music channeled influences spanning from traditional African folk to American funk to free jazz, enjoying phenomenal commercial success that bridged ethnic and linguistic divides.
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