Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe (March 17, 1936
– May 11, 2007),
often referred to as just Osita Osadebe, was a Nigerian
Igbo highlife
Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre that combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with a rare characteristic blend of horns and vocal rhythms. Igbo highlife lyrics are sung mostly in Igbo ...
musician from
Atani
Atani is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River in Anambra State, Nigeria. Atani is the headquarter of Ogbaru Local Government Area, a Local Government in the Northern Senatorial District of Anambra State.
It is one of the communities in ...
. During his career spanning over four decades, he became one of the best known musicians of
Igbo highlife
Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre that combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with a rare characteristic blend of horns and vocal rhythms. Igbo highlife lyrics are sung mostly in Igbo ...
. His best-known hit was the 1984 single "
Osondi Owendi
"Osondi Owendi" (English: ''one man's meat is another man's poison'') is an Igbo highlife song by Nigerian highlife artist Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe. The song was released in 1984 and has since gone on to become a classic in Nigeria, thereby est ...
", which established him as a leader in the highlife genre and was one of Nigeria's most popular records ever.
Biography
Osadebe was born on March 17, 1936, in the Igbo town of
Atani
Atani is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River in Anambra State, Nigeria. Atani is the headquarter of Ogbaru Local Government Area, a Local Government in the Northern Senatorial District of Anambra State.
It is one of the communities in ...
, the city on the eastern bank of the
Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...
in Ogbaru Local Government Area of
Anambra State
Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...
, Southeastern Nigeria. He came from a line of singers and dancers in
Igboland
Igbo land ( Standard ) is a cultural and common linguistic region in southeastern Nigeria which is the indigenous homeland of the Igbo people. Geographically, it is divided into two sections, eastern (the larger of the two) and western. Its popu ...
. His genre, Highlife, encompassed Igbo and traditional musical elements. Along with this,
calypso,
Samba
Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...
,
bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
,
rumba
The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...
,
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
waltz
The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
were also present in Osadebe's musical style. It was in his high school years in
Onitsha
Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...
, a major commercial city near Atani, that Osadebe grew interested in music.
Career
Osadebe started his career singing at nightclubs in
Lagos State
Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...
in the southwestern region of Nigeria, with Trumpeter Zeal Onyia as his mentor. He had been a part of The Empire Rhythm Orchestra, led by E. C. Arinze in which he had learned much of his music skills.
[Idonije, Benson. "Obituary" (May 2007) ''Nigerian Guardian''] A prolific composer, Osadebe released his first album in 1958, and went on to write over 500 songs; half of which were released commercially.
After stints with the Stephen Amache Band and the Central Dance Band in around 1964,
[ Osadebe struck out as a bandleader with his group the Sound Makers.
As he became better established, Osadebe's style matured to include social commentary, similar to, but not as confrontational as ]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 ...
. Personal trials and tribulations were usually the main topics of his commentaries. He sang in English, pidgin English
Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from English. Pidgins that are spoken as first languages become creoles.
English-based pidgins that became stable contact languages, and which have ...
and Igbo
Igbo may refer to:
* Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria
* Igbo language, their language
* anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria
See also
* Ibo (disambiguation)
* Igbo mythology
* Igbo music
* Igbo art
*
* Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...
.Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...
in the late 1960s, the massive exodus of the eastern peoples of Nigeria (especially the Igbo) out of western Nigeria had caused the death of the Highlife's prominence in the then capital, Lagos. During the war and after the war Osadebe maintained his scheduled live performances. 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, ...
and later 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 ...
took precedence in Lagos, and in the 1970s James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
and various other music forms became popular in the city. In this same decade, Osadebe's career had reached its zenith.
Personal life
Osita Osadebe married five wives and has several children who resides 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, ...
and abroad.
Discography
* Mkojo - 1985
* Yoba Chukwu
* Ozubulu Brothers - 2007
* Okpi Uzo Enweilo - 2007
;Singles
*"United Nigeria" / "Okpaku Elieli" Stephen Osadebay and Nigerian Soundmakers, 1962-63 (His Master's Voice
His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
NH37)
*"Sylvanu Olympio" / "Ifeayi CMakojo - 1985
* Egwu Ogolo - 1985
* Abube 85 Oguigha - 1985
* Yoba Chukwu - 1986
* Star Social Club Of Nigeria - 1987
* An'Edo Social Club - 1987
* A gbala a.k.a Na Azo - 1987
* Onu Uwa Ana Masi Ije Uwa - 1988
* Gwam Okwu - 1988
* Nwanem Ebeniza - 1996
* Ka-Anyi Jikota - 1996
* Agadi Nwanyi Na
* Nri Sports
* rd's Special
* Onuigbo - 1996
* Aye Mama - 1996
* Nyem Obi Gi - 1996
* Kwue Nkeyi
* En'u Wa
* Nwanne Dmamba - 2006
* Onukwulu Njo - 2006
* Ndia Na Ndia
* Anaedo Special
* Kedu America - Gretthukwu" Stephen Osadebay and Nigerian Soundmakers, 1962-63 (His Master's Voice NH41)
*"Monkey De Work Baboon De Chop" / "Nwezigbo Omume" Commander In Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe & His Nigeria Sound Makers, 1971 (6259085 PE)/"Egwu Amala"/"Ndubusi"
;Albumsolp 120 OLP may refer to:
*One Liberty Plaza
*Off-line programming (robotics)
*Our Lady Peace, a Canadian alternative rock band
*Our Lady of Peace (disambiguation)
*OLP Guitars
*Ontario Liberal Party, a provincial political party in Ontario, Canada
*Royal ...
Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his Nigerian Soundmakers International, 1984
* Onye Atumuna olp 058Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his Nigerian Soundmakers International, 1991
* Onye Amamife MCD 024Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his Nigerian Soundmakers International, 1994
* Kedu America ENO 4044Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his Nigerian Soundmakers International, 1996
* Ozonkemadu POSA 012Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe And his Nigerian Soundmakers International, 1987
* Ife Chukwu Kanma MLP 001
MLP may refer to:
Groups, organizations, companies
* Master limited partnership, a type of business entity
* MLP SE (formerly ), a German financial services consulting firm
* Major League Productions, a British record label
* Manchester Liter ...
Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe his Nigerian Soundmakers International, 1991
* Ndia na Ndia olp 233 OLP may refer to:
*One Liberty Plaza
*Off-line programming (robotics)
*Our Lady Peace, a Canadian alternative rock band
*Our Lady of Peace (disambiguation)
*OLP Guitars
*Ontario Liberal Party, a provincial political party in Ontario, Canada
*Royal ...
Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his Soundmakers International, 2004
See also
*Highlife music
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 ...
*Igbo Highlife
Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre that combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with a rare characteristic blend of horns and vocal rhythms. Igbo highlife lyrics are sung mostly in Igbo ...
*Igbo music
Igbo music ( Igbo: ''Egwu nkwa ndi Igbo'') is the music of the Igbo people, who are indigenous to the southeastern part of Nigeria. The Igbo traditionally rely heavily on percussion instruments such as the drum and the gong, which are popular bec ...
* List of Igbo people
The list of Igbo people includes notable individuals who have full or significant ancestry traced back to the Igbo people of South-East and South-South geopolitical regions of Nigeria.
This page also contains names of people who traced their ...
* Igbo musicians
* 20th-century Nigerian singers
* List of Nigerian musicians
This is a list of Nigerian musicians.
Only notable individuals are included here; for groups, see List of Nigerian musical groups. Names are to be arranged by the first letter of Wikipedia reference.
0–9
*2face Idibia – hip hop and R&B ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osadebe, Chief Stephen Osita
Musicians from Anambra State
Igbo highlife musicians
Igbo-language singers
Igbo singer-songwriters
Nigerian male singer-songwriters
Nigerian singer-songwriters
1936 births
2007 deaths
20th-century Nigerian male singers