Peter King (afrobeat)
Encyclopedia
Peter King is a Nigeria
n musician who played several instruments, but was best known as an alto saxophonist playing a combination of Afrobeat
and Jazz
.
Peter King is perhaps better known in Europe and America than in Nigeria for his "Miliki Sound" on the record "A Soulful Peter King", where he played popular classics such as "Sincerely", "We Belong Together" and "Just Because".
in the eastern region of Nigeria and grew up in Lokoja
, Lagos
and Port Harcourt. In 1957 he joined the Roy Chicago
band in Ibadan
, playing the Maracas
and then the Conga
drum. He moved to other bands in Ibadan and then Lagos, playing the double bass, drums and then the alto sax. In 1961 he went to London
where he studied at various schools of music, including the Trinity College of Music
.
While in London, Peter King joined with drummer Bayo Martins and trumpeter Mike Falana to form the "African Messengers" group.
The group performed at festivals and clubs, and served as backup band for acts like The Four Tops, The Temptations
and Diana Ross
. The African Messengers recorded many 45rpm records. "Highlife Piccadilly", a fusion of Highlife
and Jazz was a hit. Peter King formed another band "The Blues Builders" with which he toured Europe and Northern Africa.
Peter King returned to Nigeria in 1969, and with his group "The Voice of Africa" performed on the war front during the Nigerian Civil War
. Returning to London in 1971 he toured Europe, America and Japan with his group "Shango
". He assembled and arranged a big band to back the singing group Boney M
on their first live concert tour across Europe in 1977.
He recorded nine studio albums between 1975 and 1978, and wrote music for several plays and television shows. In 1979 King returned to Nigeria and formed the P.K band. He composed music for soap operas and recorded three further albums.
In the early 1980s Peter King and his P.K. Band played on the NTA
and at the National Museum, Lagos for three years.
-Gene Ammons
-John Coltrane
tradition.
He has a unique tone, flawless articulation and a fresh turn of mind in improvisations, and is the leading tenor saxophone voice to have come from the Nigerian highlife and afrobeat traditions.
Talking of his hit "Highlife Piccadilly", Peter King said "Our philosophy was to play modern jazz with highlife
as the basis ... Afrojazz is my musical direction and a mission".
Peter King combined afrobeat with a funk style similar to James Brown
. His "Shango
" was acclaimed by critics. Opening with a simple flute melody, tambourines enter followed by complex duets between horns and looping guitar riffs.
In January 2007 the French Ambassador in Nigeria inaugurated the new facilities of the Peter king school of music at Badagry
, Lagos State
.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n musician who played several instruments, but was best known as an alto saxophonist playing a combination of Afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
and Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Peter King is perhaps better known in Europe and America than in Nigeria for his "Miliki Sound" on the record "A Soulful Peter King", where he played popular classics such as "Sincerely", "We Belong Together" and "Just Because".
Life
Peter King was born in 1938 in EnuguEnugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
in the eastern region of Nigeria and grew up in Lokoja
Lokoja
Lokoja is the capital city of Kogi State, in central Nigeria, and is a port on Niger River.-History:Founded by William Balfour Baikie according to European historical records, although there have been indigenous people living in the area for thousands of years...
, Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
and Port Harcourt. In 1957 he joined the Roy Chicago
Roy Chicago
Roy Chicago was an indigene of Ikare-Akoko in Ondo State, Nigeria.He was a musician and band leader who played in the Highlife style, introducing talking drums into the musical style. He moved to Lagos from Ibadan in the late 1950s, and was most popular during the 1960s...
band in Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, playing the Maracas
Maracás
Maracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
and then the Conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
drum. He moved to other bands in Ibadan and then Lagos, playing the double bass, drums and then the alto sax. In 1961 he went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he studied at various schools of music, including the Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
.
While in London, Peter King joined with drummer Bayo Martins and trumpeter Mike Falana to form the "African Messengers" group.
The group performed at festivals and clubs, and served as backup band for acts like The Four Tops, The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
. The African Messengers recorded many 45rpm records. "Highlife Piccadilly", a fusion of Highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
and Jazz was a hit. Peter King formed another band "The Blues Builders" with which he toured Europe and Northern Africa.
Peter King returned to Nigeria in 1969, and with his group "The Voice of Africa" performed on the war front during the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
. Returning to London in 1971 he toured Europe, America and Japan with his group "Shango
Shango
In the Yorùbá religion, Sàngó is perhaps one of the most popular Orisha; also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder...
". He assembled and arranged a big band to back the singing group Boney M
Boney M
Boney M. is a Eurodisco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba...
on their first live concert tour across Europe in 1977.
He recorded nine studio albums between 1975 and 1978, and wrote music for several plays and television shows. In 1979 King returned to Nigeria and formed the P.K band. He composed music for soap operas and recorded three further albums.
In the early 1980s Peter King and his P.K. Band played on the NTA
Nigerian Television Authority
The Nigerian Television Authority - also known as NTA - was inaugurated in 1977 and is the government-owned body in charge of television broadcasting in the country. The NTA claims to run the biggest television network in Africa with stations in several parts of Nigeria...
and at the National Museum, Lagos for three years.
Music
Peter King plays in the Sonny RollinsSonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
-Gene Ammons
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons also known as "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons.-Biography:...
-John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
tradition.
He has a unique tone, flawless articulation and a fresh turn of mind in improvisations, and is the leading tenor saxophone voice to have come from the Nigerian highlife and afrobeat traditions.
Talking of his hit "Highlife Piccadilly", Peter King said "Our philosophy was to play modern jazz with highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
as the basis ... Afrojazz is my musical direction and a mission".
Peter King combined afrobeat with a funk style similar to James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
. His "Shango
Shango (Peter King album)
Shango is an album by Nigerian afrobeat tenor saxophonist Peter King.-Track listing:#Shango [5:39]#Prisoner of Law [5:40]#Mr Lonely Wolf [6:55]#Freedom Dance [4:10]#Go Go's Feast [7:47]#Mystery Tour [6:19]#Now I'm A Man [3:39]#Watusi [4:39]...
" was acclaimed by critics. Opening with a simple flute melody, tambourines enter followed by complex duets between horns and looping guitar riffs.
School of music
Peter King founded his School of Music in 1982, in a three-room apartment in Maza Maza. At first it had about 30 students. Since then the College has expanded greatly, and now has lecture halls, rehearsal rooms, an assembly-concert hall and hostel facilities. The school has been assisted by Canadian musicians Oliver Jones and Archie Allen and greatly assisted by the French government. Almost two thousand students have graduated from the school since 1982. The school provides practical tuition and grants certificates and diplomas. It prepares students for the professional examinations of Associate, Licentiate and Fellowship of the Trinity, Royal and London Schools of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.In January 2007 the French Ambassador in Nigeria inaugurated the new facilities of the Peter king school of music at Badagry
Badagry
Badagry is a coastal town and Local Government Area in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is situated between Metropolitan Lagos, and the border with Benin at Seme...
, Lagos State
Lagos State
Lagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the...
.
Discography
- Mikki Sounds (Orbitone 1975)
- Omo Lewa (Orbitone 1976)
- A Soulful Peter King (Orbitone 1977)
- Moods (Tyrone Records 1978)
- African Dialects (Grandstand 1979)
- Omolewa
- Palm Wine Vendor (2002)