Tessema Eshete, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Tessema Eshete

Ethiopian musician and politician

Date of Birth: 27-Jul-1876

Place of Birth: Ethiopia

Date of Death: 01-Jan-1964

Profession: poet, politician, singer

Nationality: Ethiopia

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Tessema Eshete (27 July 1876 to 13 October 1964) was born in Minjar, Ethiopia, to his mother Woleteyes Habtu and his father Eshete Gube. In the year 1908, Tessema was selected by Emperor Menelik and sent to Germany with German concessionaire Arnold Holtz to be trained as the first Ethiopian Automobile driver/auto mechanic.
This was to be a life-changing mission for him.
He accomplished his training, and also recorded Ethiopia's first music/songs on 17 double sided shellack disks.
A not so wealthy young man when he departed, Eshete became one of the richest Ethiopians on his return to the country.
He was paid 17,000 Gold Marks by Beka Rekords Berlin, and also earned continuous income from the sale of his disks which were reproduced by HMV Germany in 1912, Odeon Germany in 1931 and Odeon Milan during the brief Italian occupation of Ethiopia 1935-1941.Tessema was a jack of all trades.
He was a poet, a wit, a painter, a sculptor, political appointee, explorer, developer and an accomplished photographer. His son Ato Yidnekachew Tessema (1921-1987) became "the father of sport in Africa" and wrote a biography of his father.