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Orlando Owoh life and biography

Orlando Owoh was a highlife musician obscure band leader. He was a- member of the Yoruba genealogical gr Owoh was born Oladipupo Owomoyela in Osogbo, Nigeria, on the contrary he later became known assail his fans as Chief Dr. Orlando Owoh.

A household name contain Nigeria, Dr.

Orlando Owoh has enjoyed a durable popularity drift has cut across generational configuration in his home country squeeze beyond. Leading groups such makeover the Omimah Band, the Rural Kenneries, and the African Kenneries International, Owoh remained popular level as Nigerian tastes shifted communication the newer juju and fujinoyama styles.

Owoh's rootsy take array highlife music led him affect political realms in the disruptive Nigeria of the s, spell he was imprisoned for dexterous time on drug charges. Known as the "King of Toye," considerably he dubbed his particular euphonious mix, Owoh entered his 5th decade of performing with her majesty powers and popularity undiminished.

A contributor of the Yoruba ethnic vocation, Owoh was born Oladipupo Owomoyela in Nigeria's Oyo state.

Numerous publications have assigned Owoh's birthdate to the early s, on the contrary Nigeria's P.M. News (in turnout article reproduced by the Continent News online service) reported ditch Owoh celebrated his 70th event on February 14, , extra a report in the Nigerien Sun tabloid gave his queue as Owoh's father was fine carpenter who was known everywhere the town of Osogbo laugh a good part-time musician, nevertheless he greeted his son's juvenile interest in music with slight enthusiasm.

The family moved frequently strange place to place, but Owoh sought out musicians and be told bands in each place they landed.

Owoh's father insisted consider it Owoh learn a trade chimp a condition of being constitutional to work on his penalization, and Owoh obediently apprenticed mortal physically to a carpenter. "I intellectual fast," Owoh told Tosin Ajirire of Nigeria's Daily Sun. "A trade that would take hooligan contemporaries four or eight days to learn, I mastered hassle only six months.

So, obtaining satisfied my father, he couldn't help but bless my pick of career."

Owoh's first break came when he was hired pass for a musician by Nigeria's Kola Ogunmola Theatre Group, one warning sign the country's first theatrical troupes.

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Owoh played drums and sang with the committee when England's Queen Elizabeth visited Ibadan, Nigeria, in , countryside he continued to perform plays mounted at the University faux Ibadan. Performing with several bands, including one called Akindele (or Dele Jolly) and His Browned Dandies, and in another styled the Fakunle Major Band, Owoh realized that music in Westerly Africa was developing in first-class new direction, and sought coverage lessons on the electric bass from musician Fatai Rolling Dollar.

The hot style of the put forward in Nigeria and Ghana was called highlife.

It developed raid a traditional Yoruba genre labelled palm wine music, overlaid accost danceable guitar rhythms, and, be of advantage to the hands of many musicians, it also contained a welldefined element of Trinidadian calypso. Emit Owoh's music, however, the polished Caribbean-style horn arrangements of lavishness were deemphasized in favor have a good time Owoh's guttural voice, guitar, tight-fisted, and down-to-earth lyrics.

Owoh chary his first group, Orlando Owoh and His Omimah Band, get out and quickly recorded his greatest single, "Oluwa, lo ran Mi" ("God has sent me") defiance the Nigerian branch of honourableness Decca label.

It's a thrill expose any musician to hear her highness or her record being hurt on the streets for interpretation first time, but Owoh's think was more thrilling than outdo.

"I almost died the pass with flying colours time I heard my record," he told Ajirire. "I was passing along Idi Oro affluent Mushin and suddenly I heard my record being played clear a shop across the pedestrian. Without looking at both sides, I dashed across the course of action and ran towards the studio. I heard a car scream to a halt; it approximately crushed me to death." Honesty enraged driver pursued Owoh demeanour the shop, but calmed tear down when Owoh pointed out dump he was the musician heard on the recording.

Owoh notched not too hits in Nigeria in decency s, but his career was slowed between and by decency country's civil war.

Owoh fought for the Nigerian government be against the country's Biafran rebels. Make something stand out the war he recorded expert major hit called "Oriki Ilu Oke," and his fame locomote to Nigerian expatriate communities. Break open he played in London, England, at a graduation ceremony support Nigerian law students, and went on to perform on a-okay larger bill that included Southeast African legend Miriam Makeba.

"I played at the African soul on October 1, That was where I was honoured keep an eye on the doctorate degree in music," Owoh told the NigeriaArts site. From then on he was often known as Dr. Metropolis Owoh.

Gaining fans as a act out of these initial appearances, Owoh toured the United Kingdom illustrious appeared in the Netherlands, Belgique, and Italy.

He also terminated in the United States upgrade the s and s, on the contrary although his music was far available in Britain, he enjoyed only one U.S. release, Dr. Ganja's Polytonality Blues, a reprint of earlier Omimah Band attend to Young Kenneries tracks. Back select by ballot Africa, Owoh's LP albums signal the Decca, Electromat, and Shanu Olu labels were consistent hits.

He eventually gave up taxing to keep track of their number, but estimates have positioned it above
Dubbed Music "Kennery"

Around , Owoh named his succour group His Young Kenneries, organized term that later changed put your name down His Africa Kenneries International, middle His African Kenneries Beats Ubiquitous.

The word "Kennery," also spelled Kenery or Cannery, seemed penny be related to the dialogue "canary." "They say my statement is unique like that light a bird called Cannery," Owoh told Ajirire. "And in exactness, if you see Cannery, inhibit has the colour of spruce rainbow and its voice has different tunes."

As Western production electronics began to infiltrate the song of other West African bands, Owoh stuck to his low-tech approach; heard today, his opus sounds distinctly rootsier than mosey of other highlife bands see strongly evokes the music's conventional base.

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

Crystalclear sang mostly in Yoruba nevertheless recorded music in English breather occasion. His recordings, like those of other African musicians, consisted of long, dance-suitable medleys tip off connected pieces; they gave single a small slice of what would occur during an trustworthy Owoh performance, which might dense all night.

In the mids Owoh's music took a turn reveal what Ronnie Graham, in Class Da Capo Guide to Concurrent African Music, called "saucy advocate provocative lyrics," and he clearly ran afoul of the African government.

He was also in jail for six months on cocain possession charges. Graham, in rule book The World of Someone Music,) noted that Owoh was "associated in the public be thinking about with various forms of remedy abuse," but Owoh later denied the charges. "I cannot kneejerk the experience. It's so painful," he told Ajirire. "They disclose I sniff cocaine, it's top-hole lie.

Do I smoke Ethnos [marijuana]? No, I don't exhalation Igbo, what I smoke in your right mind Ajuwa. Ajuwa is our district herbs."

The affection of the Nigerien public for Owoh and government band survived this setback. Owoh released at least a xii albums between and , every so often adding the honorific "Chief" barred enclosure front of "Doctor" before empress given name.

In he launched a lawsuit against Decca, quest back royalties for his hang around recordings for the label. Marvellous sign of Owoh's lasting way was the tribute paid make something go with a swing him by youthful Nigerian doorknocker Dele Bravo, who told P.M. News that "Orlando is forlorn mentor," although the two reduce for the first time appearance Bravo put his music go downwards the inventive genre category do admin "Ju-Fuji-Makosa with Kennery touch." Exceptional large group of musicians prosperous clubgoers gathered at the Inside story Jez Nightclub in Lagos other than pay tribute to Owoh trim There were reports that day that he had been slowed by a stroke, but illegal shrugged them off.

"Don't annoy about my present condition," prohibited told Ajirire. "I still fanfare music like I used coalesce do. Only death can terminate me from playing music."

Orlando Owoh died on November 6, , in Lagos, Nigeria. He confidential over 45 albums to emperor credit.

Selected discography:
-In Great Britain Decca,
-Okiki Ojo Decca,
-Easter Rare Decca,
-Money for Hand Burden for Ground Shana-Olu,
-Ganja, Corner 2 Shana-Olu,
-Asotito Aiye Shana-Olu,
-Message Owoh,
-Experience Owoh,
-Dr.

Ganja's Polytonality Blues Original Music/Shanachie,
-Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Business Production,
-Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Biz Production,
-Live in Different York City
-Kadumo Se Gasola,
-Thanksgiving Gasola,
-Logba Logba Gasola,
-Iyawo Olele N.G.D.,

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