Philly Bongoley Lutaaya

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BIOGRAPHY

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Philly Bongoley Lutaaya (19 October 1951 – 15 December 1989) was a Ugandan musician who was the first prominent Ugandan to give a human face to HIV/AIDS. Before dying of AIDS, Lutaaya spent his remaining healthy time writing songs about his battle with AIDS, releasing his last album Alone and Frightened, including his famous song "Alone", influenced by Swedish duo Roxette's hit song It Must Have Been Love, as well as touring churches and schools throughout Uganda to spread a message of prevention and hope.

Lutaaya was popular in Uganda in the 1960s, and in the 1970s he toured the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Japan. In the mid 1980s, he settled in Stockholm, Sweden. There he recorded his hit album Born in Africa, which is still popular in Uganda. The Nigerian-Swedish musician Dr. Alban, who has called Lutaaya "one of the greatest African musicians", later released an album also named Born in Africa.

Lutaaya's Christmas Album, produced in 1986, remains his most popular album to date. The album, whose songs were written in native Luganda, remains part of a strong Christmas tradition in Uganda. It included classics such as "Tumusiinze", "Gloria", "Merry Christmass, Oh Happy New Year", "Azzaalidwa", and "Zukuka" among others.

In 2015, Lutaaya was signed to the Swedish- based record company and label