Admiral Dele Abiodun - It's Time For Juju Music (Audio)

Adawa Super.

Born 30 March 1948, Bendel, Nigeria. Resisting his parents' plans for a career in medicine, "Admiral" Dele Abiodun used his school fees to enrol at the Young Pioneers College in Accra, Ghana. Here he immersed himself in highlife music, playing bass in several bands, before returning to Nigeria in 1969 and basing himself in Lagos. He founded his own band, Sweet Abby And The Tophitters, who played Ghanaian-style highlife and then a tough and idiosyncratic fusion of juju and afrobeat that Abiodun dubbed adawa (translated as "independent being").

The new style immediately attracted a large audience throughout Nigeria, and Abiodun has adhered to it, with occasional modifications, throughout his career. His first album, Kini Mo Ko Soke Yi, was released in 1971. Eschewing the established juju practice of releasing four or five albums a year, Abiodun chose to release just one album a year, free of the sponsorship of local dignitaries and politicians.

As a result, he has never achieved the superstardom of his peers King Sunny Ade or Ebenezer Obey, but has built up a loyal following and maintained substantial record sales throughout the ensuing decades. He toured the UK for the first time in 1974. In 1984, Abiodun refined the adawa sound to include western elements such as electroclaps and drum machines, while also deepening the African base of his music with an expanded drum and percussion section.

The new approach was introduced with 1984's It's Time For Juju Music and came to maturity with the following year's Confrontation. He has continued performing throughout the 90s and into the new millennium. While Confrontation remains his most compelling album to date, 1989's Current Champion is also an essential set in any representative juju collection.

Source: http://www.nme.com/artists/dele-abiodun

Dele Abioduns Discography

Kino Mo Ko Soke Yi - 1971 (Olumo)
Adawa Super Sound - 1975 (Olumo)
Adawa Sounds Super 2 - 1975 (Olumo)
Adawa Sounds Super 3: Vol. 6 - 1975 (Olumo)
You Told Me That You Love Me - 1975 (Olumo)
Toju Wa Oba Oke - 1976 (Olumo)
Adawa Super 5 - 1976 (Olumo)
Super 6: Ile Ora - 1977 (Olumo)
Super 8: Agba Wa Bura - 1977 (Olumo)
Awa O Ni Legba - 1978 (Olumo)
Super 11: Mo Ke P'Oluwa - 1979 (Olumo)
For Better For Worse - 1980 (Olumo)
Super 14 Special - 1980 (Olumo)
The Beginning Of The New Era - 1981 (Adawa Super)
E O Fu'Ra - 1982 (Adawa Super)
1,000 Miles - 1982 (Adawa Super)
Ma Se'Ka - 1983 (Adawa Super)
It's Time For Juju Music - 1984 (Adawa Super)
Oro Ayo - 1985 (Adawa Super)
Sound Of The Moment - 1985 (Adawa Super)
Confrontation - 1985 (Earthworks)
Message Of Joy - 1986 (Adawa Super)
E So Ko Ijo - 1987 (Adawa Super)
Busy Body - 1988 (Adawa Super)
Ring My Number: Temi Laago - 1988 (Adawa Super)
Current Champion - 1990 (Adawa Super)
Happy Days - 1990 (Adawa Super)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• dele
• abiodun
• juju
• yoruba
• naija
• nigeria
• adawa

[planetolusola]

African music with african percussion - sweet!!

[Siena2671]

I'm not Yoruba, and have no idea what's being said, but it doesn't matter. Great music, fantastic percussion, Nigerian music rocks!

[OneWorldOneDestiny]

Remove the corrupt leaders who continue to insult the continent, Africa remains the richest in music and culture. I wish our leaders were as sweet as our music.

[zookat]

ADAWA Superstar! Love this!

[presunkab]

This version is different, it looks new, better and melodious. The rhythms sound more mordernised

[williamsadejohnson]

I love Dele Abiodun music, god Bless him, how can I contact him or his bookin office

[stereopit]

this is great, please more I would like to collect all Dele Abiodun songs, on CD please any Idea where, thanks. From Adawa super one to the very last.

[remi4real]

I'm so much with you.......

[isolapepe]

Very talented musician...his juju style is unique to him...his compositions and arrangements are unmistakably 'adawian'

[damiolajide]

Thanks for posting this music. Reminds one of the original version released in 1985.