Ted Gioia
https://www.youtube.com/user/tedgioia
“The Honky-Tonk Nun of Ethiopia.”
That’s what music historian Ted Gioia calls Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, who will soon celebrate her 98th birthday. She lives in a tiny room in a monastery in Jerusalem and has devoted fans all over the world. Even though, Gioia writes, “There is no genre for funky Ethiopian nuns. They don’t fit into any radio format. There’s no club in your town where you can hear them perform. She is in a class by herself.” You can hear why from the first trills of “The Homeless Wanderer,” which Gioia links to, along with another piece off her album and a video of her a few years back.