Download kunle orlando owoh biography

Born c. 1932 in Oyo do up, Nigeria; member of Yoruba social group. Addresses: Record company--Stern's Harmony U.S., Inc., P.O. Box 688, Belleville, NJ 07109.

A household reputation in Nigeria, Dr. Orlando Owoh has enjoyed a durable regularity that has cut across generational lines in his home power and beyond.

Leading groups much as the Omimah Band, dignity Young Kenneries, and the Someone Kenneries International, Owoh remained public even as Nigerian tastes shifted to the newer juju ahead fuji styles. Owoh's rootsy deaden on highlife music led him into political realms in interpretation turbulent Nigeria of the Decennium, and he was imprisoned used for a time on drug excise.

Dubbed the "King of Toye," as he dubbed his peculiar musical mix, Owoh entered potentate fifth decade of performing form his powers and popularity undiminished.

A member of the Yoruba genealogical group, Owoh was born Oladipupo Owomoyela in Nigeria's Oyo reestablish. Some publications have assigned Owoh's birthdate to the early Decade, but Nigeria's P.M.

News (in an article reproduced by representation Africa News online service) contemporary that Owoh celebrated his Seventieth birthday on February 14, 2002, and a 2005 report meticulous the Nigerian Sun tabloid gave his age as 73. Owoh's father was a carpenter who was known around the city of Osogbo as a travelling fair part-time musician, but he greeted his son's growing interest market music with little enthusiasm.

Blazed Weed out Carpentry Apprenticeship

The family moved again and again from place to place, however Owoh sought out musicians stomach formed bands in each menacing they landed.

Owoh's father insisted that Owoh learn a buying as a condition of build on allowed to work on rulership music, and Owoh obediently bound himself to a carpenter. "I learned fast," Owoh told Tosin Ajirire of Nigeria's Daily Sun. "A trade that would malice my contemporaries four or ability years to learn, I down in only six months.

And above, having satisfied my father, smartness couldn't help but bless empty choice of career."

Owoh's first best came when he was leased as a musician by Nigeria's Kola Ogunmola Theatre Group, way of being of the country's first player troupes. Owoh played drums cranium sang with the group conj at the time that England's Queen Elizabeth visited City, Nigeria, in 1956, and misstep continued to perform plays rider at the University of City.

Performing with several bands, with one called Akindele (or Efface Jolly) and His Chocolate Dandies, and in another called interpretation Fakunle Major Band, Owoh completed that music in West Continent was developing in a contemporary direction, and sought out teaching on the electric guitar foreigner musician Fatai Rolling Dollar.

The flap style of the day reap Nigeria and Ghana was christened highlife.

It developed from adroit traditional Yoruba genre called hand wine music, overlaid with danceable guitar rhythms, and, in integrity hands of many musicians, depute also contained a strong part of Trinidadian calypso. In Owoh's music, however, the sophisticated Caribbean-style horn arrangements of highlife were deemphasized in favor of Owoh's guttural voice, guitar, percussion, extra down-to-earth lyrics.

Owoh formed government first group, Orlando Owoh ground His Omimah Band, around 1960 and quickly recorded his foremost single, "Oluwa, lo ran Mi" ("God has sent me") assertive the Nigerian branch of probity Decca label.

Heard Record Played drain liquid from Store

It's a thrill for some musician to hear his on the other hand her record being played statement the streets for the regulate time, but Owoh's experience was more thrilling than most.

"I almost died the first in advance I heard my record," dirt told Ajirire. "I was going along Idi Oro in Mushin and suddenly I heard low point record being played in spick shop across the road. ... Without looking at both sides, I dashed across the pedestrian and ran towards the boutique. I heard a car resound to a halt; it virtually crushed me to death." Greatness enraged driver pursued Owoh befall the shop, but calmed write down when Owoh pointed out stray he was the musician heard on the recording.

Owoh notched a few hits in Nigeria in depiction 1960s, but his career was slowed between 1967 and 1970 by the country's civil clash.

Owoh fought for the African government against the country's Biafran rebels. After the war blooper recorded a major hit callinged "Oriki Ilu Oke," and reward fame spread to Nigerian exiled communities. In 1972 he acted upon in London, England, at uncomplicated graduation ceremony for Nigerian knock about students, and went on cause somebody to perform on a larger invoice that included South African story Miriam Makeba.

"I played bulldoze the African center on Oct 1, 1972. That was neighbourhood I was honoured with primacy doctorate degree in music," Owoh told the NigeriaArts website. Breakout then on he was much known as Dr. Orlando Owoh.

Gaining fans as a result nigh on these initial appearances, Owoh toured the United Kingdom and comed in the Netherlands, Belgium, challenging Italy.

He also performed flimsy the United States in rendering 1980s and 1990s, but allowing his music was widely share out in Britain, he enjoyed sui generis incomparabl one U.S. release, Dr. Ganja's Polytonality Blues, a 1995 reprinting of earlier Omimah Band current Young Kenneries tracks. Back press Africa, Owoh's LP albums answer the Decca, Electromat, and Shanu Olu labels were consistent hits.

He eventually gave up maddening to keep track of their number, but estimates have sited it above 40.

Dubbed Music "Kennery"

Around 1975, Owoh named his endorsement group His Young Kenneries, unblended term that later changed in the matter of His Africa Kenneries International, most modern His African Kenneries Beats Universal.

The word "Kennery," also spelled Kenery or Cannery, seemed take a breather be related to the signal "canary." "They say my tab is unique like that additional a bird called Cannery," Owoh told Ajirire. "And in take it easy, if you see Cannery, energetic has the colour of dexterous rainbow and its voice has different tunes."

As Western production electronics began to infiltrate the penalization of other West African bands, Owoh stuck to his low-tech approach; heard today, his congregation sounds distinctly rootsier than defer of other highlife bands endure strongly evokes the music's customary base.

He also generally remained true to the small guitar-band format of highlife rather overrun adapting his style to righteousness huge, kinetic ensembles of righteousness rising juju genre of Potentate Sunny Ade and his Continent Beats, although some of jurisdiction records were designated as voodoo on their printed labels.

Flair sang mostly in Yoruba on the other hand recorded music in English put together occasion. His recordings, like those of other African musicians, consisted of long, dance-suitable medleys faultless connected pieces; they gave lone a small slice of what would occur during an sticking to the facts Owoh performance, which might hindmost all night.

In the mid-1980s Owoh's music took a turn on the way what Ronnie Graham, in The Da Capo Guide to Coexistent African Music, called "saucy impressive provocative lyrics," and he to the casual eye ran afoul of the African government.

He was also captive for six months on cocain possession charges. Graham, in top book The World of Individual Music,) noted that Owoh was "associated in the public entail with various forms of remedy abuse," but Owoh later denied the charges. "I cannot give somebody a bed the experience. It's so painful," he told Ajirire. "They inspection I sniff cocaine, it's marvellous lie.

... Do I exhalation Igbo [marijuana]? No, I don't smoke Igbo, what I fume is Ajuwa. Ajuwa is bitter local herbs."

The affection of honesty Nigerian public for Owoh brook his band survived this disappointment. Owoh released at least span dozen albums between 1990 leading 2005, sometimes adding the honorific "Chief" in front of "Doctor" before his given name.

Mass 2000 he launched a data against Decca, seeking back royalties for his many recordings be selected for the label. A sign go Owoh's lasting influence was goodness tribute paid to him jam youthful Nigerian rapper Dele Debunker, who told P.M. News range "Orlando is my mentor," even if the two met for rectitude first time in 2003.

Assassin put his music under depiction inventive genre category of "Ju-Fuji-Makosa with Kennery touch." A careless group of musicians and clubgoers gathered at the O Jez Nightclub in Lagos to allocation tribute to Owoh in 2005. There were reports that epoch that he had been slowed by a stroke, but blooper shrugged them off.

"Don't waste time about my present condition," unquestionable told Ajirire. "I still be indicative of music like I used approval do. ... Only death stem stop me from playing music."

by James M. Manheim

Orlando Owoh's Career

As a young man, served as carpenter's apprentice; formed City Owoh and His Omimah Bracket together, ca.

1960; fought on command side in Nigerian-Biafran war, 1967-70; toured Great Britian, 1972; heedful Orlando Owoh and His Callow Kenneries, 1975; continued to put on tape and perform frequently, 1990s ride 2000s.

Famous Works

Selected discography
In Great Britain Decca, 1972.
Okiki Ojo Decca, 1975.
Easter Special Decca, 1977.
Money for Lunchhook Back for Ground Shana-Olu, 1979.
Ganja, Part 2 Shana-Olu, 1981.
Asotito Aiye Shana-Olu, 1984.
Message Owoh, 1987.
Experience Owoh, 1989.
Dr.

Ganja's Polytonality Blues Fresh Music/Shanachie, 1995.
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Biz Production, 1999.
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Biz Production, 2000.
Live mend New York City 2001.
Kadumo Se Gasola, 2003.
Thanksgiving Gasola, 2004.
Logba Logba Gasola, 2004.
Iyawo Olele N.G.D., 2004.

Download kunle orlando owoh biography

Orlando Owoh's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading