Andy McKee, a celebrated fingerstyle guitarist, has captivated audiences with his innovative techniques and unique arrangements. Among his impressive repertoire is a remarkable rendition of Toto's iconic song "Africa." This article delves into McKee's masterful interpretation, exploring the elements that make his version a true masterpiece.
Recorded in 1981 and released on September 30, 1982, "Africa" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 5, 1983. Toto remains one of the top-selling tour acts in the world, with over 30 million records sold.
The initial idea and words for the song came from David Paich. "At the beginning of the '80s I watched a late night documentary on TV about all the terrible death and suffering of the people in Africa. It both moved and appalled me, and the pictures just wouldn't leave my head."
McKee's arrangement of "Africa" showcases his exceptional fingerstyle skills, incorporating alternate tunings, tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, percussive slapping, partial capos, and pinch harmonics. He masterfully combines these techniques with an innovative feel for composition and structure, creating a truly captivating performance.
One of the special sounds on the GS-1 is the kalimba-like intro, you hear on the song. On "Africa" you hear a combination of marimba with GS 1. The kalimba is all done with the GS 1; it's six tracks of GS 1 playing different rhythms.
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McKee's version of Toto’s “Africa” displays not only his talent but the fact that there are no limits to one person with the right amount of skill on a single acoustic guitar. And the video is just him playing so that you can see it really is just him and his guitar.
How to Play "Drifting" - Intro Breakdown - Andy McKee Guitar Lesson
The Allure of "Africa"
Those drums are still echoing loud and clear on this month’s 30th anniversary of Africa reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
When it came to describing genres of music, we’d come around from classical and jazz to country and rock and roll, but I think “world music” hadn’t been really a category yet. Africa was one of the entries into that genre, because it was the only way to describe that song, really. Here was a pop band that were taking influences that came from South Africa and Bali and different places like that.
I’d say we were headed in the same direction, in the same spirit that Peter Gabriel is known for: combining Middle Eastern and Indian and South African music, to get his songs across.
The Live Performance
Andy McKee’s Live Book captures the essence of the celebrated fingerstylist’s beautiful and versatile sound through live performance. Recorded over three nights at concerts in Alabama and Georgia, Live Book features the perfect blend of up-tempo and reflective songs spanning McKee’s musical career, collectively illuminating the majestic performance one can expect at an Andy McKee concert.
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Opening with “Drifting” (which brought McKee to the world stage via YouTube in 2006 after amassing more than 50 million hits), the album progresses to his first acoustic fingerstyle composition “Ouray.” Thoughtful performances of “She,” “Nocturne,” “Rylynn,” “For My Father,” and “The Reason” strike a sentimental chord.
One of the highlights of the album is McKee’s driving performance of “Art of Motion,” performed on a baritone guitar unlike previous recordings. “Into the Ocean” and “Ebon Coast” showcase McKee’s blend of string percussion and harmonics with the former played on harp guitar.
Live Book also contains McKee’s version of Toto’s “Africa,” a tribute to McKee’s greatest influence Michael Hedges (“Because it’s There,”) and an arrangement of Don Ross’ “Tight Trite Night.”
One of the gems of this album is the description that accompanies the songs on the CD jacket detailing the origin of each composition. Live Book is a must not only for Andy McKee fans, but those who love the diverse sounds of the acoustic guitar presented with a sonic storyteller’s brilliance.
I sometimes think that certain songs are just floating around out there, and as artists we’re used as instruments, almost like we’re Wi-Fi connectors or something. The way music comes through people, possibly from a higher place, and the way we can share it with others is a magical thing. It’s amazing - the affect it can have on people, and the affect a song like Africa can have on me when I’m playing it.
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When we play Africa now, towards the end of the song, Nathan (East) - who has roots because his father was from South Africa - does this incredible chanting with the audience, and the crowd chants back. The great thing about playing Africa live is how Nathan’s improvisations can make it different every night, depending on the crowd, how they’re singing along to it and the environment in which we’re performing.
When I wrote the song on the piano, I never imagined just how much bigger and better it would become, and it surpassed anything I originally had in my head. The icing on the cake is when you see people singing along to it, in all parts of the world.
In the video, a researcher in a library (portrayed by band member David Paich) tries to match a scrap of a picture of a shield to the book from which it was torn out. As he continues his search, a librarian (Jenny Douglas-McRae) working at a desk takes occasional notice of him, while natives in the surrounding jungle begin to close in on the library. When the researcher finds a book entitled Africa, the native throws a spear (the shield the native carries is the same as the one in the picture), toppling stacks of books. Africa falls open to the page from which the scrap was torn, but a lantern lands on it and sets it on fire, after which the librarian's eyeglasses are shown falling to the floor.
Here is a table representing some of the notable covers of "Africa" by various artists:
| Artist | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weezer | Rock | Crowdsourced cover movement |
| Howie Day | Acoustic | Straight acoustic cover |
| Avant | Rhythm & Blues | Understated production |
| Andy McKee | Fingerstyle Guitar | Amazing acoustic guitar instrumental version |
| Amy Turk | Harp | Breathtaking harp cover |
Andy McKee is an exceptional fingerstyle guitar player, who has created an amazing acoustic guitar instrumental version of Africa, that displays not only his talent but the fact that there are no limits to one person with the right amount of skill on a single acoustic guitar. And just keep watching to see how he accompanies himself playing the solo.
Similar in technology to The Floppotron, because the limitations of 8-bit are similar to the limitations that the old hardware creates, this 8-bit version is one of many, but 8 bit Universe is pretty prolific in their 8-bit covers, so if you enjoy this, you should see what else they have available to discover.
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