He's the man who made it possible in Ethiopia. Without Amha Eshèté, there wouldn't have been a private company pressing vinyl records in the 1970s. He dared to defy the regime by making records that wouldn't commissioned or sponsored by the government.
After leaving Ethiopia and the DERG regime, M. Eshèté pursued a career as an entrepreneur, in both catering and music venues, relying on the Ehiopian community of the United States. Then back to Addis.
The whole Ethiopian scene which is now massively reissued owe a great deal to M. Eshèté, who recently died.
He said it all to the Pan-African Music website in a two-part interview (in French).
Respect.
