One Pound No Balance

It appears a lot of people enjoyed the clip from "The Stephen Osita Osadebe Show" I posted last week and want to see more.*

So here's some more.



I'm still posting these short clips on YouTube just for the sake of continuity (plus, somewhere deep down inside I probably want to be a YouTube star) but I'll soon start putting up longer versions on Dailymotion.

*What I found interesting though is that the clip of the much more obscure Golden Sounds I uploaded to YouTube on the same day has received well over two times the number of views of the Osadebe video--thanks probably to the World Cup-fueled renewed interest in "Zangalewa"/"Waka Waka." I really hope the Golden Sounds can harness this attention into a strong comeback!

The Stephen Osita Osadebe Show - "Osondi Owendi"

It's extremely rare to encounter live performance footage of Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe because like many musicians of his generation he guarded his music and his image jealously. He turned down most invitations to play on television and demanded exorbitant sums for the rights to film him in performance. However, in the early 1980s NTA 10 Lagos finally convinced the Doctor of Hypertension to do a weekly television half-hour show.

The program took the format of a live-in-studio Osadebe concert--no skits, no guest stars, no interviews, no chit-chat, no frills. Osadebe and the band would just perform two or three songs straight. The only variation would be when Chief would step off stage to let one of the other band members lead while he danced in the wings.

Here is an early rendition of the now-classic "Osondi Owendi." It's actually a bit longer than this but I had to get it to fit in at under 10 minutes in order to upload it on YouTube.

Saturday highlife (on Sunday)

VARIOUS - SATURDAY HIGHLIFE (PHILIPS WEST AFRICAN RECORDS, 420 021 PE, 196?)

SIDE 1
1. Come Again - Stephen Osadebe and his "Nigeria Sound Makers"
2. Kolowo Lode - Victor Olaiya and his "All Stars"

SIDE 2
1. Ibi Na Bo - Pastor Rex Lawson and his "Mayor's Dance Band"
2. 750 x 20 - Roy Chicago and his "Rhythm Dandies"

Obiajulu Emmanuel Osadebe (1966-2009)

I just learned this evening that highlife musician Obiajulu Emmanuel Osadebe has died.

This development is made doubly saddening by the fact that it occurs less than two years after the passing of Obiajulu's father, the legendary Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, and Obiajulu had taken it upon himself to keep the Osadebe legacy alive.

Highlife maestro Osadebe’s son dies

From Adimike George, Onitsha

The first son of the late highlife music maestro, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, Obiajulu, is dead.

According to a family source, Obiajulu, 43, died on Tuesday at Niger City Hospital, Onitsha, Anambra State, after a brief illness.

The body has been deposited at the Ozubulu Central Mortuary in Ekwusigo Council area of Anambra State.

Although the cause of his death could not be ascertained as at press time, there were speculations that he died of heart failure.

He had been bed-ridden for over five months at his Atani country home, Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State.

Obiajulu, who came back to the country after the burial of his father on February 8, last year, stepped into his father’s shoes, remixing some of his hit songs.

He also performed at some popular joints within and outside Onitsha.

Until his death, Obiajulu was married to Olayinka.

They have a daughter.

Besides, he is survived by an aged mother, brothers and sisters.

Unfortunately, I don't have any Obiajulu music on hand, so I'll put up some Osita Osadebe tracks instead. I would have liked to post the 1977 cut "Obiajulu" (which translates as "My Heart Has Found Rest") but I can't find the record right now.

Instead, let's enjoy 1988's "Ana Masi Ife Uwa" ("I am telling the story of my life") in which Osadebe Sr. declares that music his gift from God, his destiny and the journey of his life--as it also was for Obiajulu, who earned a Masters degree in Banking and Finance but elected instead to follow his father on the musical journey.

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe & His Nigerian Soundmakers International - "Ana Masi Ife Uwa"

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe (1936-2007)

I was just in the middle of composing an entry on highlife when I was informed that Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe had died.

If you've not heard of him, he's pretty much been one of the cornerstones of Igbo highlife of the past fortysome years. A party is not a party until his evergreen classic "Osondi Owendi" has been played a couple of times.



Rest in peace.