|
KING SUNNY ADÉ
King Sunny Ade is
the undisputed king of juju
music, the dance-inspiring
hybrid of western pop and
traditional African music with
roots in the guitar tradition of
Nigeria. Although he's yet to
equal the success that he
enjoyed with his early-1980s
albums and American tours, Ade
and his band, His African Beats,
continue to weave an infectious
blend of electric guitars,
synthesizers and multi-layered
percussion.
Born to a family
of Nigerian royalty, Ade left
school to pursue a career in
music. In the mid-1960s, he
performed with a Highlife band,
Moses Olaiya's Federal Rhythm
Dandies. Ade formed his own
band, The Green Spots, in 1967.
Frustrated by the
exploitation of the record
industry, Ade launched his own
record label in 1974. In the two
and a half decades since, the
label has released more than one
hundred of Ade's recordings in
Nigeria. Ade began to attract
attention in the western world
when three of his albums — Juju
Music, Synchro System and Aura —
were released in the early-1980s
on the Mango label, a subsidiary
of Island Records. Ade and His
African Beats made their debut
American performances to
enthusiastic crowds in 1983.
|
Although Juju
Music and Synchro System showed
signs that Ade was going up to
live up to billing as "the
African Bob Marley," Aura was a
commercial disappointment and
the group was dropped by Island
Records. While they released an
album, Authority, in 1990, it
too failed to stir much
commercial interest. E Dide (Get
Up), released in 1995, offered
hints that the best days of Ade
and His African Beats are yet to
come. The group followed it with Odu, a collection of ancient
Nigerian songs, in 1998; the
album was nominated for a
Grammy. Its follow-up, Seven
Degrees North, appeared in 2000.
Ade has remained
a powerful force in Nigeria.
Money received from his early
albums has been used to launch
an oil firm, a mining company, a
nightclub, film and video
production company, a PR firm
and a record label specializing
in recordings by African
artists. It's been estimated
than more than seven hundred
people are employed by Ade's
companies.
In the mid-1990s,
Ade founded the King Sunny Ade
Foundation, an organization that
includes a performing arts
center, state of the art
recording studio and housing for
young musicians and performers
on a five acre tract donated by
the Lagos state government. Ade
currently serves as chairperson
of the Musical Copyright Society
of Nigeria. In 1996, Ade formed
a "supergroup", The Way Forward,
featuring top-notch Nigerian
musicians. Ade and His African
Beats have been featured in
three films — Juju Music in
1988, Live At Montreux in 1990
and Roots of Rhythm in 1997. ~
Craig Harris, All Music Guide
King Sunny
Adé
Links:
|
