General Prince Adekunle (1942–2017) was a Nigerian

Jùjú music Jùjú is a style of Yoruba popular music, originated in Lagos, Nigeria. It first began developing in the 1920s with Tunde King (Abdulrafiu Babatunde King). Early styles of jùjú music consisted of banjo or acoustic guitar, drums, gourd rattle, ...

ian. Born 22 October 1942, Adekunle was of Egba origin, from

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State located at the south western part of Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokut ...

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...

. Adekunle was a major innovator and force in the jùjú music scene, with his distinctive driving

Afrobeat Afrobeat (also known as Afrofunk) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Nigerian (such as Yoruba) and Ghanaian (such as highlife) music, with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex i ...

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 England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in the early 1970s, he did not become well known outside

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, ...

Music

Jùjú music, first developed by Tunde King in the 1930s, formed the basis of Prince Adekunle's music.

Highlife Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasse ...

musicians like Bobby Benson and Tunde Nightingale introduced jazz concepts and new instruments.

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

Sunny Adé Sunny may refer to: People * Sunny (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Sunny (singer), member of Girls' Generation * Sunny (wrestler), WWE Hall of fame wrestler * Sun Diego, German rapper * Sunny, of Sue and Sun ...

brought in amplified guitars and synthesizers. All these formed the basis for Adekunle's innovative and forceful new style of juju music.

, pioneered in the late 1960s by

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...

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 protégé Sir Shina Peters who created a unique high-speed "Afro juju" sound. Sir

Shina Peters Sir Shina Peters (born Oluwashina Akanbi Peters; 30 May 1958) is a Nigerian Jùjú musician. Life Born Oluwashina Akanbi Peters in Ogun State, Peters' career in music began at a young age when he played with friends under the handle Olushina an ...

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, Adenkunle was among other musicians who met to discuss ways to reverse the current decline of jùjú music, while opposing the proposal by King Sunny Adé to form a jùjú musician's union.

Death

Prince General Adekunle died on Saturday 2 September 2017.

Discography

A partial list of LPs:

External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adekunle, Prince 1942 births 2017 deaths Yoruba musicians Musicians from Abeokuta Yoruba-language singers of Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian musicians 20th-century Nigerian male musicians