Ruy Mingas

Ruy Mingas, Angolan vocalist and guitar player, is one of his homeland’s most famous musicians and performers. Well known and loved in his home country and beyond since the late ’50s, Mingas has long been known as a pioneer in African music. Mixing musical elements of his Afro-Portuguese heritage with jazz and Latin music — while addressing political themes of the day — made him not only a beloved musician, but a leader to his people. Given the rising interest in Afro-Portuguese music brought on by musicians like Césaria Évora and the Mendes Brothers, Mingas began to float back to the top of Western attention in the mid- to late ’90s. Today, drawing on his cultural and political background, Mingas serves as the Minister of Culture of Angola. He still regularly records and performs. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.