Chris Berry

Encouraged by his teachers to create his own compositions, he formed the band Panjea, which fused funk with elements of hip-hop, Afro-pop and traditional African music.

Berry has toured North and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Asia and Africa as a frontman and bandleader, and has headlined music festivals around the world.

He performed the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia[citation needed]; was guest musician and composer on Paul Winter's Grammy Award Winning 2005 "Silver Solstice" Album [2] Berry taught music and culture as a guest faculty member at Oberlin and Berklee Colleges of Music, University of Colorado Boulder, Williams College, Stanford University as well as his own Panjea Foundation for Cultural Education.

Berry has collaborated with Steve Kimock, members of the Brazilian Girls, Baaba Maal, Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mutukudzi, Manu Dibango, Xavier Rudd, String Cheese Incident, Eminem, Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Senegalese Afro-pop artist Yousoou N'dour, Cuban musicians Los Munequitos de Mantanzas, jazz artist Paul Winter, Jamaican rhythm and production duo Sly and Robbie, and Fugee's producer Handel Tucker.

A reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald found Berry's performance was "little more than merely showing off his undoubted virtuosity" and his lyrics were "idle platitudes".