Prince Adekunle
Encyclopedia
General Prince Adekunle is a Nigeria
n Jùjú music
ian. He is of Egba
origin, from Abeokuta
in Ogun State
. Prince Adekunle has been a major innovator and force in the jùjú music scene, with his distinctive driving Afrobeat style. Famous musicians such as Sir Shina Peters
and Segun Adewale
started their careers playing with his band, the Western Brothers.
Although he toured in England in the early 1970s, he did not become well known outside Nigeria.
in the 1930s, formed the basis of Prince Adekunle's music. Highlife
musicians like Bobby Benson
and Tunde Nightingale
introduced jazz concepts and new instruments. Ebenezer Obey
and Sunny Ade brought in amplified guitars and synthesizers. All these formed the basis for Adekunle's innovative and forceful new style of juju music.
Afrobeat
, pioneered in the late 1960s by Fela Kuti
and others, was another major influence on Prince Adekunle and his band the Western State Brothers, later the Supersonic Sounds.
With a cool but driving, sophisticated style, Prince Adekunle is considered one of the great artistes of Jùjú music.
Sir Shina Peters recalls that when he was young, he was befriended by Prince Adekunle. An agent said he should be called Prince Adekunle’s son as a publicity stunt, and that was how he became known as Shina Omo Adekunle. Although the adoption was not real, people accepted it and in a way it became real.
Shina Peters and Segun Adewale, who became two of the biggest stars of the 1980s, both started their careers performing in the mid-1970s with Prince Adekunle.
Jùjú music star and Soko Dance exponent, Dayo Kujore, was another musician who owed much to Prince Adekunle, playing lead guitar on some of his classics such as "Aditu ede" and "Eda n reti eleya".
In May 2004, he was among other musicians who met to discuss ways to reverse the current decline of jùjú music, while opposing the proposal by King Sunny Ade
to form a jùjú Musician's Union.
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 Jùjú music
Jùjú music
Jùjú is a style of Nigerian popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. The name comes from a Yoruba word "juju" or "jiju" meaning "throwing" or "something being thrown." Juju music did not derive its name from juju, which "is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or...
ian. He is of Egba
Egba
The Egba are a clan of the Yoruba people who live in western Nigeria. Many Egba live in the city of Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State.- History :...
origin, from Abeokuta
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
in Ogun State
Ogun State
Ogun State is a state in South-western Nigeria. It borders Lagos State to the South, Oyo and Osun states to the North, Ondo State to the east and the republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state...
. Prince Adekunle has been a major innovator and force in the jùjú music scene, with his distinctive driving Afrobeat style. Famous musicians such as Sir Shina Peters
Sir Shina Peters
Sir Shina Peters is a Nigerian Jùjú musician. Born Oluwashina Akanbi Peters in Ogun State, he began his career while playing the guitar with General Prince Adekunle, later forming his own group with Juju Maestro Segun Adewale...
and Segun Adewale
Segun Adewale
Segun Adewale is a Nigerian musician. He is considered the pioneer of Yo-pop, a mix of funk, jazz, juju, reggae, and Afro-beat....
started their careers playing with his band, the Western Brothers.
Although he toured in England in the early 1970s, he did not become well known outside Nigeria.
Music
Jùjú music, first developed by Tunde KingTunde King
Tunde King was a Nigerian musician, credited as the founder of Jùjú music, who had great influence on Nigerian popular music.Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that...
in the 1930s, formed the basis of Prince Adekunle's music. 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...
musicians like Bobby Benson
Bobby Benson
Bobby Benson was an entertainer and musician who had considerable influence on the Nigerian music scene, introducing big band and Caribbean idioms to the Highlife style of popular West African music.-Life:...
and Tunde Nightingale
Tunde Nightingale
Tunde Nightingale, a.k.a., "Western" was a native of Ibadan, the largest city in both Nigeria and Africa. An incredible guitarist with a sonorous voice to boot, he was best known for his unique Jùjú music style, following in the tradition of Tunde King....
introduced jazz concepts and new instruments. Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey , nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian pop musician.- Biography :Obey, whose full name is Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, was born in Idogo, Ogun State, Nigeria of Egba-Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba. He began his professional...
and Sunny Ade brought in amplified guitars and synthesizers. All these formed the basis for Adekunle's innovative and forceful new style of juju music.
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...
, pioneered in the late 1960s by Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
and others, was another major influence on Prince Adekunle and his band the Western State Brothers, later the Supersonic Sounds.
With a cool but driving, sophisticated style, Prince Adekunle is considered one of the great artistes of Jùjú music.
Influence
Afrobeat also influenced Adekunle's protege Sir Shina Peters who created a unique high-speed "Afro juju" sound.Sir Shina Peters recalls that when he was young, he was befriended by Prince Adekunle. An agent said he should be called Prince Adekunle’s son as a publicity stunt, and that was how he became known as Shina Omo Adekunle. Although the adoption was not real, people accepted it and in a way it became real.
Shina Peters and Segun Adewale, who became two of the biggest stars of the 1980s, both started their careers performing in the mid-1970s with Prince Adekunle.
Jùjú music star and Soko Dance exponent, Dayo Kujore, was another musician who owed much to Prince Adekunle, playing lead guitar on some of his classics such as "Aditu ede" and "Eda n reti eleya".
In May 2004, he was among other musicians who met to discuss ways to reverse the current decline of jùjú music, while opposing the proposal by King Sunny Ade
King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Adé is a popular performer of Yoruba Nigerian Jùjú music and a pioneer of modern world music. He has been classed as one of the most influential musicians of all time.-Background:...
to form a jùjú Musician's Union.
Discography
A partial list of LPs:| Date | Group | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers | Orin Erin Tani Yio Fi We | Label unknown AALPS 002 |
| 1970 | Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers | Awa Lomo Nigeria | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 1 |
| 1970s | Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers | Eniyan Laso Mi | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 3 |
| 1970s? | Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers | Se Rere Fun Mi / Fese Fun Wa Baba (7" 45) | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOK. 5 |
| 1970s | Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers | Aiye Le | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 4 |
| 1970s | General Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers | General Prince Adekunle in the United Kingdom | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 6 |
| 1970s | General Prince Adekunle & his Western Brothers | Kaiye Ma Se Wa | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 10 |
| 1970s | General Prince Adekunle & his Western Brothers | Asalamu Aleikun | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 25 |
| 1975 | General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds | You Tell Me That You Love Me Baby | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 30 |
| 1975 | General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds | Sunny Ade (EP) | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOEP25 |
| 1975 | General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds | Awodi Nfo Ferere | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 32 |
| 1979 | General Prince Adekunle and His Supersonic Sounds | Vol. 3 Hypertension | Shanu Olu SOS 052 |
| ? | General Prince Adekunle & his Western Brothers | Good Old Music of Prince Adekunle | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 72 |
| 1980 | General Prince Adekunle | Vol. 6 | Shanu Olu SOS 112 |
| 1989 | Prince Adekunle (The General) & his Supersonic Sounds | Survival | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 116 |
| 1990 | General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds | People!!! | Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 118 |