1. Ray Lema began learning the organ and piano, within a European classical canon that included Gregorian chants, Mozart and Chopin; his concert debut was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
10 Facts About Ray Lema
1. 2.
Ray Lema left the seminary in 1962 and subsequently attended the University of Kinshasa, where he studied chemistry.
3.
Ray Lema became interested in popular music from outside Africa and after learning to play guitar he began his involvement with the Kinshasa music scene.
4.
Ray Lema became a performer in clubs and was a fan of musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
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Ray Lema then moved to Europe, settling in 1982 in France.
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Ray Lema has become a major figure in world music, performing at numerous music festivals, and has worked as a film composer.
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Ray Lema appears as a vocalist on Stewart Copeland's 1985 album, The Rhythmatist.
8.
In 1997, Ray Lema recorded the album Bulgarian Voices with the choir of the Pirin Folk Ensemble, and composed The Dream of the Gazelle for a Swedish chamber orchestra.
9.
In 2002, Ray Lema appeared on a track titled "No Agreement" on the Red Hot Organization's tribute album to Fela Kuti, Red Hot and Riot alongside Res, Tony Allen, Baaba Maal, Positive Black Soul and Archie Shepp.
10.
Ray Lema was awarded the "Django d'Or" in October 2003, and in 2013 the Charles Cros Grand Prix de la Musique.