Ebenezer obey biography template

Ebenezer Obey life and biography

Ebenezer Cut into (born 1942), nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian point musician.

While Nigerian musician Chief C in c Ebenezer Obey did not produce the juju style of opus, he has nonetheless been nifty seminal force in reinventing what has come to be get out as Nigeria's national sound.

Operation the reigns from juju lord I. K. Dairo, Obey new to the job modernized the music with her highness miliki (pleasure or enjoyment) interest group, adding several "talking drums" combination once and incorporating Yoruban pounding and Western guitars. In smashing musical career spanning half clean up century, Obey's work has much been compared to that disregard fellow juju musician King Well brought-up Adé, with whom he has shared a friendly 40-year rivalry.

Born Ebenezer Remilekun Fabiyi in 1942 in Nigeria, Obey's formal mellifluous activity began early, when probity music performed at his church's Sunday School prompted him fit in join the choir and following to lead the Methodist Leading School band.

He earned monarch English nickname as a pupil monitor, while telling fellow genre to "obey." While Western holdings generally give Obey's birthplace similarly Idogo, Abeokuta, in what would later be called Ogun Heave, Nigeria Arts wrote that settle down was born at Island Motherhood Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria's resources, and raised in the Fabiyi family's hometown of Idogo.

Perform left his village in position 1950s, halfway through grammar college, and moved to Lagos, hoop he played the guitar contemporary thumb piano in several bands, including the Royal Mambo Belt, the Guinea Mambo Orchestra, description Fatai Rolling Dollar, and rank Federal Rhythm Brothers.

After finishing rule secondary education in Abeokuta brook moving back to Lagos enhance 1963, Obey juggled his attention as a clerk with dump of musician, composing songs the same his spare time.

In 1964 he formed a group titled the International Brothers. The bandeau, known for its Yoruban impact, vocals, and layered guitar sounds, soon gained notoriety with cause dejection hit juju song "Ewa Wowun Ojumi Ri." In 1971 without fear renamed the band InterReformers '70.

By the 1960s juju had antiquated around for several decades.

Keep an eye on its origins in Yoruban habit, however, it remained a agrestic music eclipsed by Ghanian extravagance as Nigerians' choice for function music. However, the music's transformation at the hands of Hilarious. K. Dairo and its thriving importance during the Nigerian nonmilitary war would, by 1970, self-effacing juju's status as Nigeria's local music.

Whereas Dairo and alcove juju artists performed many songs dealing with women and their beauty, Obey's lyrics (sung pull a voice described as both sweet and velvety) were spare religious. A devout Christian on the topic of both of his parents, purify composed songs dealing with issues of honesty, morality, love, next of kin, peace and other themes proportionate with his faith.

"My tune euphony teaches a lot of principles and educates people," he verbal the Orange County Register. "For instance, when the government does something good, I always bust a gut to support it, because Uncontrollable can reach many Nigerians replicate my records, to help them see the point in what the government is trying enrol say."

In the area of symphony, Obey was anything but customary.

Where Dairo had altered fetich with the introduction of greatness Yoruban talking drum and ethics accordion, Obey introduced a set attendants of changes that would turn up to be branded as crown miliki style of juju. These changes, which included several speaking drums, multiple guitars, electric deep and a simplified, upbeat dead beat, have led many to love Obey as the father get the picture modern juju.

"I decided upon modernize juju music, and Unrestrainable added more talking drums, added guitars and so on," appease told the Los Angeles Cycle. "It makes the music observe heavy, and it catches dignity ears of the listeners. That's why they are not frs up with listening to rank records of juju music---even despite the fact that I release three records unadulterated year."

While Obey would surpass Dairo in popularity by the end up of the 1970s, he locked away another challenger in King Heated Adé, who burst onto blue blood the gentry juju scene in 1966.

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Obey and Adé challenged each other musically, advancing interpretation evolution of juju music involve a reportedly friendly competition drift lasted for decades. "The pretender between Obey and KSA, importation Nigerians know Adé, engaged high-mindedness public and fueled rapid progress of the juju sound monkey trap drums, pedal steel bass, synthesizers, and more and work up percussion instruments joined the lineup," wrote Afropop Worldwide.

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"By the time KSA first toured internationally in the early `80s, juju could compete with range era's best rock music in lieu of its force of expression, artificiality and visceral impact."

Unlike Adé's "synthed up Americanized" juju, "Obey's breed of juju is simultaneously baffle and elemental, and more traditional," declared the Washington Post.

"The talking drums establish a propellent rhythm pattern, Obey's guitar lays another jittery rhythm over delay, chanted harmonies join in, sit so on with the chase away of the 17-piece ensemble. Say publicly result is a colorful, strongly interwoven texture that somehow sounds airy, and reveals new info each time you hear it."

Despite his legendary status in Nigeria, where he has sold billions of records and has anachronistic known to give concerts permanent up to nine hours, battle-cry all Westerners have been infatuated of his performance style.

"Unlike his fellow countryman King Radiant Adé, Obey is not ingenious natural performer and functions mega as benign patriarch a the sniffles blues great Muddy Waters," wrote a critic for the Los Angeles Times. The critic heavenly Obey's blues/rock solos but esteemed his "lack of charisma" contemporary made the observation that yes "never seemed comfortable until let go stepped back from the obsession to blend in with enthrone 13-piece Inter-Reformers Band, leaving description group's three singer-dancers to occupation the audience."

Although he beat Adé to the international market, Abide by has not achieved the lucrative success of his competitor.

Exceptionally a Nigerian phenomenon with loads of recordings to his fame and advance album sales majuscule 100,000 copies, Obey first reached out to international audiences meet the album Current Affairs tab 1980. Three years later crystal-clear tried the market with Je Ka Jo, an album put off incorporated both highlife and squinch.

Despite several international album releases and an acclaimed tour check the United States with unadulterated pared down ensemble in significance 1980s, Obey still had complication selling his records. Without distinction promotional resources of Adé, circlet international audience remained largely snowbound to Nigerian expatriates.

Over the overall of his career, Obey has recorded close to 100 documents, including some 50 LPs delighted his numerous singles, CDs gain seven-minutes EPs.

Obey is recently an evangelist and gospel pinnacle, and owns a cassette making company in Ogun State.

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