Staff Benda Bilili

“Staff Benda Bilili would be a remarkable band regardless of their background. Not only do they sound incredible, they exude an inscrutable cool.”–The Guardian

With the irresistible pulse of Congolese rumba, Cuban swing and James Brown-inspired funk, Staff Benda Bilili’s inspirational concerts and extraordinary story have caused a sensation across the globe. A group of paraplegic street musicians who used to live in and around the Kinshasa Zoo, the band consists of four seasoned singer/guitarists perched on spectacular customized tricycles, backed by a young acoustic rhythm section and a teenage prodigy who plays infectious guitar-like solos on a one-string electric lute he designed and built out of a tin can.