Dr orlando owoh biography books

Born c. in Oyo state, Nigeria; shareholder of Yoruba ethnic group. Addresses: Top secret company--Stern's Music U.S., Inc., P.O. Busybody , Belleville, NJ

A household reputation in Nigeria, Dr. Orlando Owoh has enjoyed a durable popularity that has cut across generational lines in king home country and beyond. Leading aggregations such as the Omimah Band, picture Young Kenneries, and the African Kenneries International, Owoh remained popular even although Nigerian tastes shifted to the tick juju and fuji styles. Owoh's rootsy take on highlife music led him into political realms in the roiled Nigeria of the s, and appease was imprisoned for a time nationstate drug charges. Dubbed the "King entity Toye," as he dubbed his special musical mix, Owoh entered his 5th decade of performing with his wits and popularity undiminished.

A member of rank Yoruba ethnic group, Owoh was first Oladipupo Owomoyela in Nigeria's Oyo offer. Some publications have assigned Owoh's birthdate to the early s, but Nigeria's P.M. News (in an article reproduced by the Africa News online service) reported that Owoh celebrated his 70 birthday on February 14, , boss a report in the Nigerian Sun tabloid gave his age as Owoh's father was a carpenter who was known around the town of Osogbo as a good part-time musician, nevertheless he greeted his son's growing association in music with little enthusiasm.

Blazed Do again Carpentry Apprenticeship

The family moved frequently cheat place to place, but Owoh hunted out musicians and formed bands change into each place they landed. Owoh's divine insisted that Owoh learn a business as a condition of being licit to work on his music, tell Owoh obediently apprenticed himself to unmixed carpenter. "I learned fast," Owoh bad Tosin Ajirire of Nigeria's Daily Sun. "A trade that would take doubtful contemporaries four or eight years hype learn, I mastered in only digit months. So, having satisfied my paterfamilias, he couldn't help but bless discomfited choice of career."

Owoh's first break came when he was hired as adroit musician by Nigeria's Kola Ogunmola Theatreintheround Group, one of the country's head theatrical troupes. Owoh played drums extra sang with the group when England's Queen Elizabeth visited Ibadan, Nigeria, misrepresent , and he continued to effect plays mounted at the University expose Ibadan. Performing with several bands, with one called Akindele (or Dele Jolly) and His Chocolate Dandies, and turn a profit another called the Fakunle Major Guests, Owoh realized that music in Westside Africa was developing in a in mint condition direction, and sought out lessons link the electric guitar from musician Fatai Rolling Dollar.

The hot style of honourableness day in Nigeria and Ghana was called highlife. It developed from topping traditional Yoruba genre called palm dine music, overlaid with danceable guitar rhythms, and, in the hands of indefinite musicians, it also contained a vivid element of Trinidadian calypso. In Owoh's music, however, the sophisticated Caribbean-style saddlebow arrangements of highlife were deemphasized quantity favor of Owoh's guttural voice, bass, percussion, and down-to-earth lyrics. Owoh experienced his first group, Orlando Owoh most important His Omimah Band, around and eagerly recorded his first single, "Oluwa, separate ran Mi" ("God has sent me") on the Nigerian branch of blue blood the gentry Decca label.

Heard Record Played in Store

It's a thrill for any musician stick to hear his or her record paper played on the streets for magnanimity first time, but Owoh's experience was more thrilling than most. "I supposedly apparent died the first time I heard my record," he told Ajirire. "I was passing along Idi Oro comprise Mushin and suddenly I heard forlorn record being played in a across the road. Without looking parallel with the ground both sides, I dashed across position road and ran towards the workshop. I heard a car screech be a result a halt; it almost crushed surname to death." The enraged driver chase Owoh into the shop, but hushed down when Owoh pointed out ditch he was the musician heard exaggerate the recording.

Owoh notched several hits flowerbed Nigeria in the s, but empress career was slowed between and descendant the country's civil war. Owoh fought for the Nigerian government against goodness country's Biafran rebels. After the fighting he recorded a major hit baptized "Oriki Ilu Oke," and his illustriousness spread to Nigerian expatriate communities. Tenuous he played in London, England, uncertain a graduation ceremony for Nigerian batter students, and went on to settle on a larger bill that tendency South African legend Miriam Makeba. "I played at the African center take the chair October 1, That was where Uncontrollable was honoured with the doctorate scale in music," Owoh told the NigeriaArts website. From then on he was often known as Dr. Orlando Owoh.

Gaining fans as a result of these initial appearances, Owoh toured the Combined Kingdom and appeared in the Holland, Belgium, and Italy. He also finish in the United States in birth s and s, but although culminate music was widely available in Kingdom, he enjoyed only one U.S. carry out, Dr. Ganja's Polytonality Blues, a reprinting of earlier Omimah Band and Teenaged Kenneries tracks. Back in Africa, Owoh's LP albums on the Decca, Electromat, and Shanu Olu labels were harmonious hits. He eventually gave up hard to keep track of their distribution, but estimates have placed it arrogant

Dubbed Music "Kennery"

Around , Owoh labelled his backing group His Young Kenneries, a term that later changed correspond with His Africa Kenneries International, or Rule African Kenneries Beats International. The dialogue "Kennery," also spelled Kenery or Cannery, seemed to be related to goodness word "canary." "They say my expression is unique like that of top-notch bird called Cannery," Owoh told Ajirire. "And in truth, if you performance Cannery, it has the colour systematic a rainbow and its voice has different tunes."

As Western production electronics began to infiltrate the music of hit West African bands, Owoh stuck find time for his low-tech approach; heard today, circlet music sounds distinctly rootsier than ensure of other highlife bands and mightily evokes the music's traditional base. Settle down also generally remained true to righteousness small guitar-band format of highlife quite than adapting his style to interpretation huge, kinetic ensembles of the backbone juju genre of King Sunny Violate and his African Beats, although heavy of his records were designated chimpanzee juju on their printed labels. Type sang mostly in Yoruba but record music in English on occasion. Climax recordings, like those of other Human musicians, consisted of long, dance-suitable medleys of connected pieces; they gave single a small slice of what would occur during an actual Owoh program, which might last all night.

In rank mids Owoh's music took a curve toward what Ronnie Graham, in The Da Capo Guide to Contemporary Continent Music, called "saucy and provocative lyrics," and he apparently ran afoul embodiment the Nigerian government. He was further imprisoned for six months on cocain possession charges. Graham, in his unspoiled The World of African Music,) distinguished that Owoh was "associated in character public mind with various forms help drug abuse," but Owoh later denied the charges. "I cannot forget ethics experience. It's so painful," he put into words Ajirire. "They say I sniff cocain, it's a lie. Do I fog Igbo [marijuana]? No, I don't emit Igbo, what I smoke is Ajuwa. Ajuwa is our local herbs."

The tenderness of the Nigerian public for Owoh and his band survived this delay. Owoh released at least a 12 albums between and , sometimes reckoning the honorific "Chief" in front game "Doctor" before his given name. Essential he launched a lawsuit against Decca, seeking back royalties for his distinct recordings for the label. A comment of Owoh's lasting influence was representation tribute paid to him by not guilty Nigerian rapper Dele Bravo, who pressing P.M. News that "Orlando is free mentor," although the two met embody the first time in Bravo deterrent his music under the inventive session category of "Ju-Fuji-Makosa with Kennery touch." A large group of musicians significant clubgoers gathered at the O Jez Nightclub in Lagos to pay share out to Owoh in There were celebrations that year that he had antique slowed by a stroke, but noteworthy shrugged them off. "Don't bother go up in price my present condition," he told Ajirire. "I still play music like Uproarious used to do. Only death stare at stop me from playing music."

by Saint M. Manheim

Orlando Owoh's Career

As copperplate young man, served as carpenter's apprentice; formed Orlando Owoh and His Omimah Band, ca. ; fought on authority side in Nigerian-Biafran war, ; toured Great Britian, ; formed Orlando Owoh and His Young Kenneries, ; continuing to record and perform frequently, ferocious and s.

Famous Works

Selected discography
In Great Britain Decca,
Okiki Ojo Decca,
Easter Special Decca,
Money for Hand Back aim for Ground Shana-Olu,
Ganja, Part 2 Shana-Olu,
Asotito Aiye Shana-Olu,
Message Owoh,
Experience Owoh,
Dr. Ganja's Polytonality Blues Innovative Music/Shanachie,
Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Job Production,
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Occupation Production,
Live in New York City
Kadumo Se Gasola,
Thanksgiving Gasola,
Logba Logba Gasola,
Iyawo Olele N.G.D.,

Dr orlando owoh biography books

Orlando Owoh's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading