This week on 'Classics' features a man I grew up listening
to because he seemed to be my father's best highlife artist of all time.
The late Chief Dr Orlando Owoh was born on the 14th of February 1932; he was born Stephen Oladipupo Owomoyela in Oshogbo, Nigeria, but he later became popularly known to his fans as Chief Dr. Orlando Owoh.
As a young man Orlando Owoh initially entered into the carpentry trade until 1958, when he was hired by Nigeria's Kola Ogunmola Theatre Group to play drums and sing. Owoh went on to form Dr. Orlando Owoh and his Omimah Band in 1960, and over a musical career of forty years he became one of the leading proponents of highlife music in Nigeria and West Africa as a whole.
With bands such as the Omimah Band and later the Young Canneries and the African Canneries International, Owoh remained popular in Nigeria, even as tastes moved to the newer jùjú and fuji styles.
Dr Orlando Owoh’s music, since he formed his first band in 1958 continued to take a top spot in the catalogue of brilliant, locally-made music; music that captured the pulse of the ‘independence’ generation; with a firm grip on the core elements of traditional African lifestyle, history, lore and idioms. With a story to every song, a musical ensemble uniquely his, a queer baritone voice like no other, and a dramatic private-public life, the musician stayed on top of his game, remaining relevant through different era and eventually influencing a generation of musicians who continue to derive inspiration from his timeless pieces. Take for example, Iyawo Olele, a parody of ‘the cheating wife’ which has been reworked by dozens of present-day musicians including Nomoreloss. Or Kangaroo – an excellent cut whose beats and chorus have been sampled by many Nigerian and Ghanaian musicians.
The 76 year-old highlife musician and band-leader lost a long, debilitating battle against stroke on Tuesday night when he gave up the ghost on Tuesday 4th of November 2008.
Despite his death many of Dr. Orlando Owoh hits are still relevant today; their musical direction, their message. From Logba Logba to ibaje eniyan, Money palava, Alagbon, Yellow sisi, and Laiku egiri, Orlando Owoh made music that could stand the test of time; music that’ll endure the most volatile changes and guide future generations on how to go about documenting a tradition musically. Orlando Owoh had over 45 albums to his name, most of them his own original compositions.
Complied by: Tayo Ankra
The late Chief Dr Orlando Owoh was born on the 14th of February 1932; he was born Stephen Oladipupo Owomoyela in Oshogbo, Nigeria, but he later became popularly known to his fans as Chief Dr. Orlando Owoh.
As a young man Orlando Owoh initially entered into the carpentry trade until 1958, when he was hired by Nigeria's Kola Ogunmola Theatre Group to play drums and sing. Owoh went on to form Dr. Orlando Owoh and his Omimah Band in 1960, and over a musical career of forty years he became one of the leading proponents of highlife music in Nigeria and West Africa as a whole.
With bands such as the Omimah Band and later the Young Canneries and the African Canneries International, Owoh remained popular in Nigeria, even as tastes moved to the newer jùjú and fuji styles.
Dr Orlando Owoh’s music, since he formed his first band in 1958 continued to take a top spot in the catalogue of brilliant, locally-made music; music that captured the pulse of the ‘independence’ generation; with a firm grip on the core elements of traditional African lifestyle, history, lore and idioms. With a story to every song, a musical ensemble uniquely his, a queer baritone voice like no other, and a dramatic private-public life, the musician stayed on top of his game, remaining relevant through different era and eventually influencing a generation of musicians who continue to derive inspiration from his timeless pieces. Take for example, Iyawo Olele, a parody of ‘the cheating wife’ which has been reworked by dozens of present-day musicians including Nomoreloss. Or Kangaroo – an excellent cut whose beats and chorus have been sampled by many Nigerian and Ghanaian musicians.
The 76 year-old highlife musician and band-leader lost a long, debilitating battle against stroke on Tuesday night when he gave up the ghost on Tuesday 4th of November 2008.
Despite his death many of Dr. Orlando Owoh hits are still relevant today; their musical direction, their message. From Logba Logba to ibaje eniyan, Money palava, Alagbon, Yellow sisi, and Laiku egiri, Orlando Owoh made music that could stand the test of time; music that’ll endure the most volatile changes and guide future generations on how to go about documenting a tradition musically. Orlando Owoh had over 45 albums to his name, most of them his own original compositions.
Complied by: Tayo Ankra
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