Tilahun Gessesse

The Voice

Tilahun Gessesse (Amharic ጥላሁን ገሠሠ) was a tenor called The Voice in the golden age of Ethiopian music in the 1960s. His birth date is given as September 27, 1940 by English Wikipedia and September 29 by MusicBrainz, The National and Passion Weiss; the Amharic Wikipedia gives a different date again. His birthplace is Waliso in English Wikipedia and Addis Ababa in the Amharic one. His father was Amhara and his mother Oromo, and he sang mostly in Amharic with some Oromo. He died on April 19, 2009 in Addis Ababa, aged 68.

He attended Ras Gobena Elementary School in Waliso, where a Sudanese principal encouraged his music. Artists from the Hager Fikir Theatre who visited the school told him to go to Addis Ababa, and he joined the Hager Fikir Theatre in 1954. He became lead singer of the Imperial Bodyguard Band (Kebur Zabagna), which dropped Imperial in the 1960s, and later sang at the National Theatre. He performed three times before Emperor Haile Selassie, Wikipedia says, though it marks that claim as needing a citation. Many of the songs on Éthiopiques 17 were recorded between 1969 and 1974, several arranged by Mulatu Astatke.

His debut Philips single was "Yehagere Shita" in 1970, and a self-titled LP came out on Amha Records in 1975. Other 1970s singles include "Tezalegn Yetentu" with Mulatu Astatke, "Min Libejegn" (1972) and "Aykedashm Lebe" (1974). In 1983 he re-recorded older LPs with the Walias Band for Misrach. A 1992 double CD on Ethio-Grooves was the first time his music reached a wider audience outside Ethiopia, followed by Wegen Alegne (1995), Andand Negeroch (1999) and Greatest Hits on Ethio Sound (2000). Éthiopiques Volume 17: Tlahoun Gèssèssè (Buda Musique) has 17 songs and is dated 2004 by Wikipedia and The Sound Projector. He is credited with over 400 songs and, per The National, sold millions of records.

The state funeral on April 23, 2009 at Meskel Square drew an estimated million people and is described as the first state funeral in Ethiopian history. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi called him an artiste of great renown, and Exclaim! called him the epitome of modern Ethiopian pop vocals. He received an honorary doctorate from Addis Ababa University. The unfinished Kome Limerkish was released after his death, in 2021. The Sound Projector praised his volume control, pitch accuracy, emotional range and melisma. Mahmoud Ahmed grew up listening to him.