Dr orlando owoh biography books

Born c. in Oyo state, Nigeria; affiliate of Yoruba ethnic group. Addresses: Put on tape company--Stern's Music U.S., Inc., P.O. Case , Belleville, NJ

A household nickname in Nigeria, Dr. Orlando Owoh has enjoyed a durable popularity that has cut across generational lines in rule home country and beyond. Leading accumulations such as the Omimah Band, justness Young Kenneries, and the African Kenneries International, Owoh remained popular even trade in Nigerian tastes shifted to the approve of juju and fuji styles. Owoh's rootsy take on highlife music led him into political realms in the riotous Nigeria of the s, and dirt was imprisoned for a time fraction drug charges. Dubbed the "King living example Toye," as he dubbed his peculiar musical mix, Owoh entered his one-fifth decade of performing with his senses and popularity undiminished.

A member of greatness Yoruba ethnic group, Owoh was indigenous Oladipupo Owomoyela in Nigeria's Oyo affirm. 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 Seventieth birthday on February 14, , most important 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 put under in music with little enthusiasm.

Blazed Show results Carpentry Apprenticeship

The family moved frequently immigrant place to place, but Owoh necessary out musicians and formed bands livestock each place they landed. Owoh's churchman insisted that Owoh learn a dealing as a condition of being allowable to work on his music, forward Owoh obediently apprenticed himself to spick carpenter. "I learned fast," Owoh rumbling Tosin Ajirire of Nigeria's Daily Sun. "A trade that would take tongue-tied contemporaries four or eight years give explanation learn, I mastered in only disturb months. So, having satisfied my churchman, he couldn't help but bless selfconscious choice of career."

Owoh's first break came when he was hired as spruce musician by Nigeria's Kola Ogunmola Theatricalism Group, one of the country's chief theatrical troupes. Owoh played drums talented sang with the group when England's Queen Elizabeth visited Ibadan, Nigeria, end in , and he continued to effect plays mounted at the University bear witness Ibadan. Performing with several bands, containing one called Akindele (or Dele Jolly) and His Chocolate Dandies, and remit another called the Fakunle Major Company, Owoh realized that music in Westbound Africa was developing in a unusual direction, and sought out lessons butter the electric guitar from musician Fatai Rolling Dollar.

The hot style of honourableness day in Nigeria and Ghana was called highlife. It developed from neat traditional Yoruba genre called palm wine-colored music, overlaid with danceable guitar rhythms, and, in the hands of myriad musicians, it also contained a brawny element of Trinidadian calypso. In Owoh's music, however, the sophisticated Caribbean-style arrangements of highlife were deemphasized explain favor of Owoh's guttural voice, bass, percussion, and down-to-earth lyrics. Owoh bacilliform his first group, Orlando Owoh esoteric His Omimah Band, around and rapidly recorded his first single, "Oluwa, separate ran Mi" ("God has sent me") on the Nigerian branch of rank Decca label.

Heard Record Played in Store

It's a thrill for any musician resurrect hear his or her record self played on the streets for description first time, but Owoh's experience was more thrilling than most. "I nearly died the first time I heard my record," he told Ajirire. "I was passing along Idi Oro look Mushin and suddenly I heard downhearted record being played in a factory across the road. Without looking put the lid on both sides, I dashed across rendering road and ran towards the plant. I heard a car screech consent a halt; it almost crushed lay out to death." The enraged driver hunt Owoh into the shop, but tranquil down when Owoh pointed out avoid he was the musician heard forge the recording.

Owoh notched several hits newest Nigeria in the s, but potentate career was slowed between and because of the country's civil war. Owoh fought for the Nigerian government against position country's Biafran rebels. After the fighting he recorded a major hit named "Oriki Ilu Oke," and his preeminence spread to Nigerian expatriate communities. Heritage he played in London, England, have an effect on a graduation ceremony for Nigerian mangle students, and went on to show on a larger bill that facade South African legend Miriam Makeba. "I played at the African center in the bag October 1, That was where Frantic was honoured with the doctorate significance 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 Mutual Kingdom and appeared in the Holland, Belgium, and Italy. He also do in the United States in authority s and s, but although wreath music was widely available in Kingdom, he enjoyed only one U.S. unbind, Dr. Ganja's Polytonality Blues, a reprint of earlier Omimah Band and Growing Kenneries tracks. Back in Africa, Owoh's LP albums on the Decca, Electromat, and Shanu Olu labels were in agreement hits. He eventually gave up grim to keep track of their hand out, but estimates have placed it done with

Dubbed Music "Kennery"

Around , Owoh person's name his backing group His Young Kenneries, a term that later changed holiday His Africa Kenneries International, or Enthrone African Kenneries Beats International. The term "Kennery," also spelled Kenery or Cannery, seemed to be related to magnanimity word "canary." "They say my categorical is unique like that of unadorned bird called Cannery," Owoh told Ajirire. "And in truth, if you look Cannery, it has the colour grapple a rainbow and its voice has different tunes."

As Western production electronics began to infiltrate the music of different West African bands, Owoh stuck come to an end his low-tech approach; heard today, music sounds distinctly rootsier than drift of other highlife bands and with might and main evokes the music's traditional base. Loosen up also generally remained true to depiction small guitar-band format of highlife to some extent than adapting his style to significance huge, kinetic ensembles of the coup juju genre of King Sunny Impostor and his African Beats, although wearisome of his records were designated considerably juju on their printed labels. Crystalclear sang mostly in Yoruba but taped music in English on occasion. Culminate recordings, like those of other Mortal musicians, consisted of long, dance-suitable medleys of connected pieces; they gave inimitable a small slice of what would occur during an actual Owoh program, which might last all night.

In position mids Owoh's music took a ride toward what Ronnie Graham, in The Da Capo Guide to Contemporary Individual Music, called "saucy and provocative lyrics," and he apparently ran afoul have fun the Nigerian government. He was further imprisoned for six months on cocain possession charges. Graham, in his tome The World of African Music,) eminent that Owoh was "associated in description public mind with various forms be in the region of drug abuse," but Owoh later denied the charges. "I cannot forget blue blood the gentry experience. It's so painful," he examine Ajirire. "They say I sniff cocain, it's a lie. Do I respiration Igbo [marijuana]? No, I don't fume Igbo, what I smoke is Ajuwa. Ajuwa is our local herbs."

The goodwill of the Nigerian public for Owoh and his band survived this depose. Owoh released at least a 12 albums between and , sometimes count the honorific "Chief" in front firm "Doctor" before his given name. Burden he launched a lawsuit against Decca, seeking back royalties for his patronize recordings for the label. A signal of Owoh's lasting influence was glory tribute paid to him by young Nigerian rapper Dele Bravo, who pressing P.M. News that "Orlando is cheap mentor," although the two met care for the first time in Bravo position his music under the inventive type category of "Ju-Fuji-Makosa with Kennery touch." A large group of musicians skull clubgoers gathered at the O Jez Nightclub in Lagos to pay commemoration to Owoh in There were celebrations that year that he had anachronistic slowed by a stroke, but proscribed shrugged them off. "Don't bother bother my present condition," he told Ajirire. "I still play music like Wild used to do. Only death gawk at stop me from playing music."

by Felon M. Manheim

Orlando Owoh's Career

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

Famous Works

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

Orlando Owoh's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading