(By Solomon Mahoi, [Pseudonym, "Abck Obba"])
12 February, 2024
Once upon a time in the history of Afrobeat, there lived a vivacious singing icon whose raspy Afrocentric accent could be heard in his range in his vocal pitch, perhaps atop the Himalayas mountain range of Mount Everest. That's not only how far the range of his singing voice travelled, but that's how wide his name did spread too.
His stage performances were filled with hysteria, the performing arts stage-presence type, that could lead to jaw-dropping effects on some of the masters of musical stage performances, performers of the likes of the late African American funk and soul legend, James Brown, or perhaps Mick Jagger, the lead vocalist of the British-American rock & roll band, the Rolling Stones. And I won't be surprised either if the same effects dawns on "The Boss" himself too, Bruce Springsteen, the lead vocalist of the American classic rock band, the East Street Band. Well, to name a few.
The icon of which I speak is Sonny Okosuns (1947-2008), a Nigerian songwriter born in Benin City, Nigeria, who was a pioneer of African liberation music in the form of a genre of songs that voiced out social protest between the 1960s and 1980s, as these were times that experienced the the Biafra War in Nigeria and the Apartheid regime in South Africa, ultimately giving voice to native political movements on the African continent.
Okosuns' influences however went beyond giving political voice on the trend of times then. His melodious hints of rock, funk, reggae and Afrobeat in his instrumental accompaniments while performing on stage, gave rise to what we now call World Music genre/International Music; within which calypso music, oriental music, Celtic music, Brazilian music, Mexican music, Scandinavian melodies and Afrobeat, to name a few, are categorized under, including reggae, although at the same time reggae independently has its own specific genre, and that genre being the reggae music genre.
As Okosuns' musical career continues to soar while spanning two decades, a wind of change suddenly blew in the music horizon, propelling him too higher heights as he switched from world music genre to gospel music genre in the early 1990s.
At this time he was now known as Evangelist Sonny Okosuns, releasing his first gospel album in 1994 titled "Song of Praises," and in 1998 he founded his own church, the House of Prayer, which he operated right from his home in Lagos Nigeria.
Sadly Okosuns died of colon cancer on 24th May 2008 at the age of 61, at the Howard University Hospital in Washington DC, when the illness became worsen.
Indeed many have come and gone, from Mariam Makeba to Huge Masekela to Fela Kuti and countless others, after acting their various roles in this life known as a stage, according to William Shakespeare's satire, "AS YOU LIKE IT." And African musical history continues to remember their names including countless others, for their indelible mark on music, fashion, society and culture. But not only in Africa, but in other parts of the world where they toured during their music careers, and where their books or memoirs are not only on booksellers' retail shelves but on their inventory databases as well.
Similarly so, Sonny Okosuns may now be gone but his legacy as pioneer of what is now called "World Music" genre/International Music genre continues to linger within the hearts and souls of those who appreciates not only Afrobeat, but also those who appreciates the melodious hints of rock, funk, and reggae, which together are accompaniments to the variety of what world music genre is.
With this in mind, long live Okosuns' music, long live his other legacies.
God Bless Africa
~ Partial credits goes to www.encyclopedia.com
for some of the details in this piece.
~ Full credit on photo goes to my coworker, Mr. Alhaji Barrie, here at Hidden Voices Africa.
