Lansana Sheriff, better known as Steady Bongo, was born in
Daru, a rural
town in
Kailahun District in Eastern Sierra Leone, to an ethnic
Mandingo father and a
Mende mother. Steady Bongo grew up in a largely Mende-speaking household in Daru. From an early age, he performed on stage, imitating musicians such as the legendary Big Fayia, Samile, Eric Donaldson, and Prince Nico. He hosted a programme called "Variety Time" at the
Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS). His first album,
Ready Before You Married, was released in 1990 and became an instant success not only in Sierra Leone, but in neighbouring countries as well. His second album,
Kormot Bi En Me, released in 1996, received the Best Album Award and had record-breaking sales. The album was the first of Steady Bongo's records to be released on
CD in the United States. In 1998, he released
Welcome to Democracy Na Salone, followed by
Born For Suffer in 1999. Sheriff was credited for being one of the first musicians to popularise Sierra Leonean music to the outside world. He died in a traffic collision in
Pujehun District,
Sierra Leone, on 7 December 2024, at the age of 58. ==Discography==