British band 3 Mustaphas 3 did much to popularise world music in the mid- to late 80s, revealing a serious musical intent behind the elaborate mythology that saw each band member adopting 6 August as an official birthday in order to avoid confusion.
Niaveti Mustapha III (b. ; flutes, German bagpipes), Hijaz Mustapha (b. ; violin, bouzouki), Houzam Mustapha (b. ; drums), Sabah Habas Mustapha (b. ; bass, percussion), Kemo "Kem Kem" Mustapha (b. ; accordion, piano), and Daoudi Mustapha (b. ; reeds) made their UK debut in August 1982.
The humorous ensemble was first brought to public attention by BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel. The band attracted a degree of criticism for not taking their music seriously, but the end product was still extremely popular with audiences both in Europe and the USA.
Name Vars
- 3 Mississippistaphas 3
- 3Mustapha3
- Mustapha
- The 3 Mustaphas 3
- Three Mustaphas Three
Members
- Ben Mandelson
- Kim Burton
- Dave Bitelli
- Lavra Daviz
- Lu Edmonds
- Colin Bass
- Nigel Watson
- Salah Dawson Miller
- Robin Anders
- Expensive Mustapha
- Tim Fienburgh
- Ray Cooper