In the last three weeks, we have in Saturday Breakfast offered a series of servings in which the ingredients of the key history of Nigerian popular music and the recording industry over the years have been examined. In other words, we have looked at the influences from which the present Nigerian music buzz emerged. The reaction has been widespread. Some of the materials come from my book, Copyright & the New Millionaires. You are invited to read on.
As the 1970s matured, the 7-inch single began to give way to the LP. The old Grundig and Philips "record changers" from Europe were dumped and replaced by sleek Sony and JVC stereo equipment from Japan. This was about the same time that automobile brands like Toyota, Nisan, Mitsubishi, etc., all from Japan were becoming the preferred cars on the road. The cassette tape and the 8-track cartridge began to creep in as serious alternative carriers of music.
While this was taking place, the studios of Decca West Africa, at Abule Oja, Yaba, close to the University of Lagos main gate, was the place to be for any artiste with any serious intent of making it big in Juju music. At this time, the forerunners of the juju sound such as the great I.K. Dairo (MBE), Tunde Nightingale, Dele Ojo and Ojoge Daniel seemed to have reached their peak. The mild mannered but prodigiously talented Ebenezer Obey seized the opportunity with both hands. While he had done quite well with songs like "Olomi Gbo Temi" in the mid-sixties, his dominance of the juju music scene became quite profound after the war. His Miliki sound which had blared from loudspeakers in the Western part of Nigeria finally had a chance to spread round the country.
The major distributors of Decca such as Shanu Olu Trading Stores in Lagos, Right Time Stores in Onitsha and Anodisc in Aba would have sold more copies of Obey's massive hit, "Board Members" than any other record they had ever handled. The album which contained songs like "Edumare Soro Mi Da Ya", "Ajala-Alhaja", "Alhaji Babs Animashaun", "Laide Oropo", "Bode Oshinusi", etc., continues to be the favourite of many till today. The only real challenge to Obey's dominance was the rapidly emerging 'master guitarist', Sunny Ade who was then recording for a private label, TYC-African Songs (Take Your Choice), owned by Chief Bolarinwa Abioro.
While Ebenezer Obey won great recognition as a stand-out composer and singer with many thought-provoking songs, Sunny Ade was the man who rocked the show! With massive hits like "Esubiri Ebo Mi" and "Syncro System", Sunny Ade became the chosen one of many juju fans who saw him as the unchallenged master of the stage. Obey used to perform sitting down but with his incomparable voice belched out hit song after hit song that moved his audience. On the other hand, Sunny Ade stood up, twisted his slim waist on stage and twanged his guitar and drove most Yoruba women crazy. Party after party, women danced to "Sunny" with sweet abandon, shook their bums and showed off their fancy lace attires with exciting 'gele' head gears.
Every weekend, Ebenezer Obey, the Miliki King with his Inter Reformers Band and Sunny Ade, the master guitarist with his African Beats were 'sprayed' hundreds of thousands of Naira by excited fans, across Yorubaland, as they praised their fans with elaborate titles and fancy names and held them spellbound with the music fittingly called 'juju'.
Decca also had a major hit in a mixed grill release by the Ghanaian group, "Ramblers Dance Band" led by singer and saxophonist, Jerry Hansen. "Ramblers" which was essentially a Highlife band had surprise success in a rehash of Eddie Floyd's song, "Knock on Wood".
However, the real surprise at Decca, was the monumental success of a group of five otherwise rudimentary young men from Mbaise in Imo State that played a very unpretentious brand of guitar driven Highlife. The acceptance of "Oriental Brothers International Guitar Band" led by Godwin Kabaka Opara, especially by the Igbos, was total. Their lead singer, Christogonus Ezebuiro Obinna, alias Dr. Sir Warrior, became a folk figure and all the lines sung by him in songs like 'Iheoma", "Anamelechi" Nwanne Awu Enyi" "Nakwa Echeki", "Ama Onye Wu Onye", etc., were analyzed and memorized and aped by people across Igboland and wherever Igbos are found. To put it mildly, Igbos were intoxicated with the music of Oriental Brothers. While Decca released quite a number of artistes on their 'Afrodisia' label, it was the young men from Mbaise that made 'Afrodisia' a household name.
Unfortunately, a few years after their breath-taking success, the group broke into three, each keeping the Oriental Brothers name. One of the groups was led by lead guitarist and band leader, Godwin Kabaka Opara. Another was led by second guitarist, Dan Satch Opara. The third group was led by lead singer, Dr. Sir Warrior Obinna. To their many fans, the situation was very confusing. Eventually, most of them stuck with the group led by Sir Warrior, if only to prove that while the guitar was important, it was the unique voice of Sir Warrior that determined the authentic "Oriental Brothers".
The Afrodisa Studios at Abule Oja also gained great reputation for great sound. Their engineers, Emma Akpabio, LAK Adeniran, John Malife and Martin Ikebuaku were busy all the year round not just with Decca artistes but with other artistes in search of Afrodisia's 'clean sound', originally driven by their 8 track 3M technology and later by 24-track equipment from Neve and Studder.
Several other artistes on labels developed by Nigerian entrepreneurs also achieved substantial success. At Olumo Records, artistes such as Dele Abiodun, Kollington Ayinla and Oliver De Coque who stormed the country with "People's Club" and later, "Identity" were in hot demand. While TYC -African Songs lost the now influential Sunny Ade, they gained Sikiru Ayinde Barrister who had turned what was essentially an Islamic religious music form to a mainstream popular music type called Fuji. Fuji music stormed the scene from the injection of heavy percussion into the Ajisari/Were music form, the music performed to wake Muslims before dawn during the Ramadan fasting season. Fuji has captured the imagination of a section of the Nigerian populace producing such stars as Kollington Ayinla, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, Pasuma Wonder, Abas Akande Obesere, Sule Alao Malaika, Saheed Osupa, etc.
When Sunny Ade broke away from TYC, his music began to be released on his own label and his records were distributed by Mutmokson Trading Company owned by Ola Kassim, who was also doing well with a gospel group, "Good Women's Choir" based in Ibadan. Mr. Kassim was responsible for launching the recording careers of two young juju musicians, Shina Peters and Segun Adewale together known as Sir Shina Adewale. The duo made some inroad into the Juju music terrain in the mid-seventies. This was before Sir Shina Peters took the nation by storm with his highly infectious Afro Juju that was released on Sony Music Nigeria. (To be continued)
See you next week.
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