Biography
For more than 30 years, Jerri Jheto has uplifted audiences and listeners with dynamic live performances and innovative recordings. Rooted in the ancient Nigerian tradition of conveying broad social and cultural messages, Jerri's music is a thrilling hybrid of Western and traditional African music.
As a young boy living with his grandmother in the Owerri region of Nigeria, Jerri Jheto would listen raptly to the drumming and singing during Tribal Meetings at her house. Learning from these early musical experiences, he immersed himself in Nigeria's vibrant music scene, centered in Lagos. Over the next years, he played and recorded with some of the Legends of African Music: Victor Olaiya, King Sunny Adé, Manu Dibango, Osibisa, and Sonny Okosuns to name a few.
Jheto came to Los Angeles in the late-80's to record an Afro-Pop album, "Apartheid". Soon Jerri's passion for different musics evolved into a signature style that seamlessly blended AfroBeat with Highlife, Reggae, Jazz and Pop: an innovative approach that pairs wicked grooves with uplifting, socially-conscious lyrics. In 1996, Jerri showcased his new musical direction on "Silver and Gold", garnering critical acclaim and airplay worldwide. He toured West Africa in 1999, headlined at PANAFEST '99 International Music Festival in Accra, Ghana and played dates throughout Nigeria and Ghana. In 2001, Jheto released "Let The People Decide" to more critical acclaim, playing festivals across the USA, Canada and throughout West Africa in 2003.
In 2006, Jheto recorded a new album, "Illegal Alien", marking a return to his AfroBeat roots. The deep funk grooves and angular horn arrangements were made for dancing, while still putting Jerri's powerful and uplifting lyrics front and center. Jerri has now returned from an extended stay in Africa to deliver his new music to the world with all the energy and passion at his command.
In 2013, Jerri reinvents himself again as a Highlife innovator with his latest album, MANGASA, which means "Our TIme Has Come" in his native Ibo tongue. Written and sung in the Ibo language, Jerri channels the feel-good dance grooves of the Highlife bands of his youth, but innovates the form with infectious sing-along choruses and hooks and a driving call-an-response style – all at radio-friendly pop length. MANGASA is a global healing and uniting music, poised to be a pace-setter on the World Music scene
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