Dele Ojo & His Star Brothers Band - Iya Ni Wura (Audio)

Juju music from the 50's.

MP3 Source:
http://wrldsrv.blogspot.com

Dele Ojo - unforgettable voice of the independence era
By Benson Idonije Lagos Guardian

Sincere thank to: Molara Wood of wordsbody.blogspot.com for reposting this article on Dele Ojo


Born in 1940 at Ilara-Akure in Ondo State, Dele showed keen interest in music from elementary school, leading the school band at age 15. He became a school teacher, in 1959 but because of his love for music, he relocated to Lagos and joined the Victor Olaiya's All Stars Band as a trumpet player. He also sang and played guitar for his artistic development. This experience however, paid off when the second set for which he played trumpet disbanded, rendering him jobless. He immediately took advantage of the popularity of the juju music to form a band with his highlife background.

Dele Ojo patterned his entire line-up on the big band style of prevailing highlife, using as many as three guitars to accomplish his style. The trap drums was there to deliver the highlife rhythmic effect, but what was absent was the line-up of horns which characterised the front-line section of highlife aggregations at the time in terms of trumpets, saxophones, and trombones.

Dele, boosted his ensemble sound with the assembly of singers who either provided appropriate responses to his lead vocals or created extended group vocal harmonies, which were orchestrated.

As lead guitarist, he created palmwine sounds that were in the idiom of big band highlife, and but for the absence of horns, the sound identity was highlife.

Dele's popularity soon flourished and was in great demand across Nigeria in 1963 up till the end of that decade, with a double advantage. His, easily passed for a highlife band as well as juju music outfit, and was often engaged by clients who required both sound identities, even though, highlife gave him a more national acclaim.

He was invited on a tour of Britain before the end of the decade of the sixties. And there, he had many shows lined up for him. He did not only thrill Nigerian communities in Great Britain, he also endeared himself to Britons and other foreigners who hailed him as the king of highlife.

Upon his return from his first English tour, he made the hit record, 'Ilu Oyinbo Dara' in which he extolled the virtues of England in terms of life and living. But one of the benefits of this hit record was Dele's revelation of the hardships that Nigerian students suffered in England at the time. The information was quite useful to parents whose children were in London as well as those who were yet to send their wards abroad.

Dele also made a tour of the United States of America, which was very successful. The second tour which took him round more states of America was even more rewarding in that bookings now came from American entertainment agents who exposed him to the international scene.

This incredible success lured him back to America where he decided to stay for many years and making hit records. But by the time he came home in the seventies to settle down, the music scene had changed. Juju music had taken over from highlife, and Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Ade were now dominating the scene. Besides, while in America, some of his boys who became home-sick deserted him. He therefore found it difficult to regroup as he got back. And when he eventually did, he could not achieve the same artistic results from the new replacements.

When Dele eventually got his sound identity right with the recruitment of new musicians, he figured that what he was losing from the absence of live engagements, he could gain from studio recording whose sales had brought him enormous profit in the past. He then recorded an album titled 'Gele Odun'.

However, Dele Ojo and his Star Brothers Band played highlife at its best; and will continue to be remembered for the role they played in the development of highlife in the early years of Nigerian independence in the sixties.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• dele
• ojo
• iya
• wura
• juju
• highlife
• yoruba
• lagoa
• naija
• nigeria

[femiayo]

why will i be mad with my dad? I`ll not forget those days when all home work had been completed and dinner over, what we listened to then are music like this. i remembered begging to listen to "ilu oyinbo dara" and how i`ll be praying to witness all he`d been singing about abrod. thak God for my life today, and i thank god and baba Dele Ojo for where i am today

[planetolusola]

@femiayo Thanks for the lovely comment Femi. I'm looking for "Ilu Oyinbo Dara' and will post as soon as I can find it.

[pastorisaac611]

Planetolusola you are the best. This is just 2 much!! God bless you.

[planetolusola]

My pleasure. Thanks for enjoying it.

[OneWorldOneDestiny]

I recall how the neighborhood kids, including yours sincerely, used to dance to this music outside the local record dealer's store. Sweet memories... Thanks, Planetolusola.

[planetolusola]

Thanks 1world. growing up, I did not know any Yoruba kid who doesn't know this song. we were made to memorize it in elementary school. We matched to it, danced to it. It sure bring back sweet memories.

[sirfemo]

This song was drilled into the head of Yoruba kids when I was younger. I don't think things have changed in regards to how Africans regard mothers. Thanks planetolusola!

[victoriajayi200]

This is very nice old tune.....Thanks

[femiayo]

OK. THANKS

[kfagbenro]

Just lovely!

[dmayor4u]

Thanks very much for this masterpiece.

[omoyasere]

memories* NOSTALGIA!

[omoyasere]

I remember dancing at my grandad's to this Vinyl LP record on his long Radiogram when I was a child. Oh! Such sweet memorie... Thanx Planetolusola