Nico Mbarga Listen^ⓘ (1 January 1950 – 23 June 1997), better known as Prince Nico Mbarga, was a Cameroonian-Nigerian highlife musician, born to a Nigerian mother from Mbembe Obubra LGA, Cross Rivers State and a Cameroonian father in Abakaliki, Nigeria. He is renowned for his hit song "Sweet Mother", recorded with his band Rocafil Jazz, which has been described as the best-selling song in history by an African recording artist.

Mbarga grew up at Ikom, Cross River State with his Cameroonian father, a timber sawyer, and Nigerian mother, a peasant farmer. Much of his time was spent fishing by the river. While still a boy, his father inadvertently sparked his passion for highlife music when he brought home a secondhand Philips radio. Mbarga was captivated by the sounds of Bobby Benson's 'Taxi Driver'. From that moment on, highlife music became a part of his life. He spent hours listening to the radio, absorbing every beat. He knew he wanted to be part of it.

Mbarga's father came from a long line of xylophone players, and taught him the instrument. This was a handheld version with metal tines plucked by the thumbs. But Mbarga wanted to make a sound more like the western instruments of highlife, so he built his own xylophone from dried-out plantain skins and scooped bark.

Following his father's death from a sudden illness, life took a harsh turn. His mother struggled to make ends meet. To support his family, he started singing at bars, and often went unpaid.

During the 1967 Nigerian Civil War, he escaped to Mamfe, Cameroon, but his mother and sibling stayed back in Nigeria. There he met his first love, Lucy. There in Mamfe, he worked as a band boy for a Congolese group. Tasked with carrying instruments to concerts at local hotels. He came to learn and love the Congolese rumba which was accompanied by melodic guitar phrases. He was determined to learn. Thus, he self taught and mastered the conga drum, bass and Congolese style electric guitar finger picking.

After the three hard years of war came to an end, Mbarga looked to launch his career back in Nigeria. Lucy and Mbarga's first attempted border crossing failed. The couple was arrested and sent to prison for three days for not having passports. They then successfully made it across by going “the bush way” in 1970. They came to Onitsha, a trading town on the banks of the Niger River.

Mbarga was married to Esame Mbarga and was survived by 10 children; Nico, Descrow, Estelle, Slimphilz, Pauline, Joan, Lillian, Lucy, Lionel, and Nicoline. In 2011, Pauline, one of his children passed on following  a brief illness making nine remaining children. Among the nine Mbarga's surviving children, only Nico, Descrow, Estelle and Slimphilz are actively involved in music and working to promote their late father's ‘panco' style of music. Joan, Lillian, Lucy, Lionel, and Nicoline are said to be either currently engaged in doing business or working white collar jobs at the Nigerian civil service commission.

He played the xylophone, conga, drums, bass guitar and electric guitar. He first started playing in school bands and he made his professional debut as a member of a hotel band, the Melody Orchestra, in 1970.