Olayiwola Fatai Olagunju, known professionally as Fatai Rolling Dollar (22 July 1927 – 12 June 2013), was a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

jùjú singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, described by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as a "nationally celebrated performer."

Biography

He started his musical career in 1953 and mentored a number of musicians including

Ebenezer Obey Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi (born 3 April 1942), known professionally as Ebenezer Obey, is a Nigerian jùjú musician. Early life Obey was born on 3 April 1942 to an Egba– Yoruba ethnic background family. Obey, whose rea ...

and the late Orlando Owoh. He was known for his dexterity at playing the guitar. Rolling Dollar's last major hit was "Won Kere Si Number Wa". In 1957, he formed an eight-piece band called Fatai Rolling Dollar and his African Rhythm Band, and they recorded numerous seven-inch singles for Phillips West Africa Records."Highlife singer, Fatai Rolling Dollar dies @ 85"
''Vanguard'', 12 June 2013.

Death

He died peacefully in his sleep. He was buried in

Ikorodu Ikorodu is a city in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is located to the north-east of Lagos, along the Lagos Lagoon and shares boundary with Ogun State. With a population of over 1 million inhabitants, Ikorodu is currently the 12th largest city in Nig ...

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

He was the oldest surviving music artist in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Discography

Album

References

1927 births 2013 deaths Musicians from Osun State Yoruba musicians Yoruba-language singers of Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian musicians 21st-century Nigerian musicians Deaths from cancer in Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian male musicians 21st-century Nigerian male musicians {{Nigeria-musician-stub