Wally Badarou
| Wally Badarou | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Waliou Jacques Daniel Isheola Badarou |
| Born |
22 March 1955 Paris, France |
| Genres | Synthpop, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, progressive rock, African music, neoclassical, minimalist |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, songwriter, musician, record producer |
| Instruments | Keyboards, guitar |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels |
Barclay Records (1978–1982) Island Records (1982–1995) Blue Mountain Music (1995–2002) Ishe Music (2002 – present) |
| Associated acts | Level 42, Compass Point All Stars, M, Robert Palmer, Tom Tom Club, Talking heads |
| Website | http://www.wallybadarou.com/ |
Waliou Jacques Daniel Isheola "Wally" Badarou (born 22 March 1955) is a French-born musician.
A synthesizer specialist, Badarou was the long-time associate of the British band Level 42, known for its blend of funk, pop, soul and rock. He has co-written and performed on a number of the band's tracks since their recording début in 1980, later co-producing them.
Though not an official member of Level 42, he has long been considered an informal "fifth member" of what has otherwise usually been a quartet with bassist Mark King, drummer Phil Gould, keyboardist Mike Lindup and guitarist Boon Gould.
All the while close to Island Records's founder Chris Blackwell, he was one of the Compass Point All Stars (with Sly and Robbie, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson), the in-house recording team of Compass Point Studios responsible for a long series of albums of the 1980s recorded by Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Joe Cocker, Mick Jagger, Black Uhuru, Gwen Guthrie, Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs.
Badarou's keyboard playing could also be heard on albums by Robert Palmer, Marianne Faithfull,Herbie Hancock, M (Pop Muzik), Talking Heads, Foreigner, Power Station, Melissa Etheridge, Manu Dibango and Miriam Makeba.
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