Myton had previously been a member of The Tartans in the late 1960s (along with Prince Lincoln Thompson, Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and Ras Michael's group, and had recorded with Thompson's Royal Rasses in the mid-1970s. He formed the Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, recording the single "At the Feast" for Lee "Scratch" Perry. Perry expanded the group to a trio with the addition of Burnett, this line-up recording the classic roots reggae album Heart of the Congos in 1977 at Perry's Black Ark studio. The album featured illustrious backing singers such as Gregory Isaacs, The Meditations, and Barry LLewellyn and Earl Morgan of The Heptones. The album has been described as "the most consistently brilliant album of Scratch's entire career".
Perry's previous productions by Max Romeo and Junior Murvin had been huge commercial successes thanks to a deal with Island Records, but Perry was in dispute with Island at the time the Congos' album was finished, so it was released on his own Black Ark label, limiting its success overseas, and causing a rift with the group. The Congos went their own way, organising a limited pressing of the album themselves. United Kingdom label Go Feet eventually reissued the album in 1980, and although the group had recorded new material since leaving Perry, Heart of the Congos proved a hard act to follow and their other releases suffered as a consequence. Albums such as Congo Ashanti were sparser and sounded ordinary compared to Perry's kitchen-sink-and-all massive productions.
Burnett quit the group, soon followed by Johnson, who embarked on a solo career. Myton continued to record as The Congos with various other musicians until the mid-1980s.
In the mid-1990s, The Congos reformed, with Myton and Burnett joined by Lindburgh Lewis, several albums following in subsequent years. In 2005 Myton recorded Give Them the Rights with a host of backup singers and star session players such as Sly and Robbie and Earl "Chinna" Smith, very much in the spiritual 70s roots vein. In 2006, the UK reggae revival label Blood and Fire released the album Fisherman Style featuring a remixed version of the classic cut "Fisherman" from Heart of the Congos plus such legends as Horace Andy, Big Youth, Dillinger, Prince Jazzbo, Luciano, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs, Max Romeo, Mykal Rose, Dean Fraser, Sugar Minott, and U-Roy doing their own new versions over the original rhythm.
In 2002, they appeared on the album The Slackers and Friends by the ska/reggae band The Slackers.
In 2008, The Congos appeared in the independent feature film, Wah Do Dem which captures them performing "Fisherman," and "Congoman Chant," under a full moon at Helshire Beach outside Kingston.
In 2009, Myton, Burnett, and Johnson reunited with Perry to record the album Back in the Black Ark, which, despite its title, was recorded at Myton's studio in Portmore and at Mixing Lab, Kingston.
Congoman
The Congos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bongo Ashanti! Congo Ashanti!
Bongo Ashanti! Congo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Ooh. Jah!
Ooh. Jah!
Out of Africa comes the Congo man!
Out of Africa comes the Congo man!
Psalms and songs of praises! Jah!
With psalms and songs and voices!
Ooh. Jah!
Ooh. Jah!
We come with our culture
to enlighten the world!
We come with our culture
to enlighten the world!
Praises!
With psalms and songs and voices!
Ooh. Jah!
Ooh. Jah!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
Out of Africa comes the Congo man!
Out of Africa comes the Congo man!
Psalms and songs of praises! Jah!
With psalms and songs and voices!
The song "Congoman" by The Congos celebrates the culture and heritage of the people from Congo, Africa. The song begins with the repetition of "Bongo Ashanti" and "Congo Ashanti" which could be interpreted as a call-and-response style chant. This repetition could also denote the connection and similarity between the Bantu language spoken in Congo and the language spoken in Jamaica, the home country of The Congos. The use of "Jah" could be interpreted as a reference to Rastafarianism, which has a strong presence in Jamaican culture.
The lyrics "We come with our culture to enlighten the world!" shows pride in their upbringing and ancestry. They see their culture not as something to be ashamed of or hidden but rather as a gift that they can share with the world. The lines "Psalms and songs of praises! Jah! With psalms and songs and voices!" emphasizes the importance of music and prayer in their culture. They see the power of their voices to unite and connect with each other and their spirituality through music.
Overall, "Congoman" by The Congos can be interpreted as a celebration of the Congo man's identity, language, culture, and spirituality. It is a call to recognize and appreciate the beauty of our background while also using it to bring joy and unity to others.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of Africa comes the Congo man!
The Congolese people originated from Africa.
Bongo Ashanti! Congo Ashanti!
A chant to express pride and unity within the Congolese community.
Congo a Bongo! Bongo Ashanti!
An expression of the Congolese culture and heritage.
Ooh. Jah!
A reference to the Rastafarian belief in Jah (God).
Psalms and songs of praises! Jah!
The Congolese people celebrate their culture and religion through music and prayer.
We come with our culture to enlighten the world!
The Congolese people want to share their culture and values with the rest of the world.
Writer(s): Cedric Myton, Roydel Johnson
Contributed by Elena A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.