Roy Chicago - Maria / Iyawo Pankeke (Audio)

60's highlife from the Legendary Roy Chicago of Nigeria- RIP

Sincere thanks to World Service Blog for the audio file of this highlife treasure:

Visit World Service at:

http://wrldsrv.blogspot.com/2010/08/once-you-have-heard-one.html

Roy Chicago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roy Chicago (John Akintola Ademuwagun) (d. February 5, 1989) was an indigene of Ikare-Akoko in Ondo State, Nigeria. He was a musician and band leader who played in the Highlife style, introducing talking drums into the musical style. He moved to Lagos from Ibadan in the late 1950s, and was most popular during the 1960s.

In contrast to Victor Olaiya, whose music was based on Ghanaian melodies and progressions, Roy Chicago based his music on Nigerian indigenous themes and folklores. He was one of the highlife musicians who changed his name to a purely Western form, perhaps to make it sound more cool.

Roy Chicago started playing in the 1950s at Central Hotel on Adamasingba Street in Ibadan before moving to Lagos. In his early years, Roy Chicago was helped by Bobby Benson who guided him in playing the saxophone and leading a band. After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Roy Chicago became increasingly successful with hits such as "Iyawo Pankeke", "Are owo niesa Yoyo gbe" and "Keregbe emu".

In the 1960s, Victor Olaiya's International All Stars and Roy Chicago's Abalabi Rhythm Dandies were two of the leading highlife bands in Nigeria, both led by graduates of the Bobby Benson Orchestra. Roy Chicago became well known at the Abalabi Hotel in Mushin, introducing the talking drum into highlife.

Roy Chicago combined the trumpet and saxophone with vocals. Playing with Bobby Benson in the 1950s, he performed ball room dance and highlife, fox trot, tango, waltz, quick step, jive and Latin American music. His sidemen included tenor sax player Etim Udo and trumpeter Marco Bazz. Roy Chicago's highlife style had its accent anchored on rhythm. Although his style could not be called a jazz derivative, there are blue notes in his saxophone parts and "cool" jazz intonations and phrases, which are closer to traditional Yoruba music than to highlife.

One of the alumni of his band was the trumpeter/vocalist Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, who came of mixed Igbo and Calabari background. Lawson apprenticed with Bobby Benson, Victor Olaiya, and Roy Chicago before striking out on his own with a unique blend of Igbo lyrics sung over Calabari rhythms. Jimi Solanke, the playwright, poet and folk singer, was another singer with his band.

The band's recording of his composition "Onile-Gogoro" became one of the most memorable highlife hits of the 1960s. Alaba Pedro, a guitarist from Roy Chicago's band, went on to play with Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, O.J. to his friends. Alaba Pedro joined Roy Chicago in 1961 and stayed with the band until the time of the civil war, when it disbanded in 1969. He recalls that "It was a highly disciplined band ... The band was versatile and could play almost all types of music, but ... highlife was its specialty, which relied more on Nigerian melodies with rhythms rooted in indigenous elements".

Peter King, one of Nigeria's greatest tenor sax players, started with Roy Chicago's band in Lagos before going to England to study music.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• roy
• chicago
• maria
• highlife
• ashiko
• juju
• lagos
• nigeria
• eko
• yoruba
• naija

[Outreachat]

Thanks so much for this, planetolusola. Do you have Roy Chicago's "Dara le, mokan le"?

[planetolusola]

@Outreachat I don't have that track. Hunting for more of Roy Chicagos's music and will post if i find it.

[shenseldul]

omg! i love dis song... been playing it all day.

[planetolusola]

@shenseldul That's 60's highlife for you.

[mistertelecaster]

I saw Roy Chicago at the Paradise Club in Ibadan early 60's....awesome !!

[blamaco]

Aaah, but Naija been sweet oo! if only we just believed in ourselves a bit more...

[UncleMo77]

So these tunes existed? I believe I heard them before, especially Yawo Pankeke some 40-50 years ago, but never struck a chord....until NOW! What beautiful sounds....I always thought Ghanaian highlife was unrivalled, but thanks to groovemonster, I am discovering golden tunes from Nigeria that am appreciating with each passing day. Respect!!

[jekoyemijohnson1]

Can u pls. post FESO JA'YE LEKO O ARA KUNRIN E FESO JA'YE EKO LE O, OKO LO'NSAN OWO ILE, OKO LO'NSAN OWO INA, OKO LO'NSAN OWO ALAGBAFO DANDAN NI KA BOKO KA BO'YA, BABA LAGBAJA N'SOMO LO RU KO - EKO WE'NJELE and so on,I can'nt remember d artist now.

[jekoyemijohnson1]

Thanks, I was asking for ( MORA LE MOKAN LE, ROY CHICAGO MORA LE, A'i SO ABA LO MU EIYE WA JE GBA LO KOO EIYE I JE GBA O EE

[princessadekunbi1]

@gbemisolagbeni1 thats olaiya

[omoyasere]

planetolusola have done it again... Thank you so much and keep digging into ur crates to bring us more of this classic oldies... You are the man,,,,, GBOSAS!

[gbemisolagbeni1]

jigbolage@yahoo.com Do yoou the artist that sung this song - PARI BOTO RIBOTO MA GBO 'MO JO pls post it if you have it. (2) TRIBUTE TO LATE JUSTICE JIBOWU WHO DIED AT JERICHO HOSPITAL, IBADAN (Olawoye)

[gbemisolagbeni1]

jigbolage@yahoo.com I like his records even when he was at Ibadan in the 50's and moved to Lagos in early 60's

[gbemisolagbeni1]

jigbolage@yaahoo.com I like dis record in d 50's before he crossed to Lagos in the 60's RIP