Sir Shina Peters (born Oluwashina Akanbi Peters; 30 May 1958) is a Nigerian
Jùjú musician.
Life
Born Oluwashina Akanbi Peters in
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 ...
, Peters' career in music began at a young age when he played with friends under the handle Olushina and His Twelve Fantastic Brothers.
While playing with his friends, he taught himself how to play the piano and later joined
Ebenezer Obey's band. Thereafter, he left Obey's band and joined
General Prince Adekunle's band as a guitar player. Adekunle's band played in
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 ...
hotels such as Western Hotel, Palm Beach Hotel and Executive Hotel. When Adekunle was ill, Peters sometimes acted as lead singer. He left Adekunle to form Shina Adewale, a band with
Segun Adewale. However, the duo soon split. Shina Peters, after releasing many albums with Segun Adewale through the 1980s, went on to form his own band, "Sir Shina Peters & His International Stars".
Peters was an actor in 'Money Power', a movie produced by
Ola Balogun. He met and started a relationship with the actress
Clarion Chukwura
Chief Clarion Chukwurah (born Clara Nneka Oluwatoyin Folashade Chukwurah; 24 July 1964) is a Nigerian actress and humanitarian.
Early life and education
Chukwurah was born as the only daughter in a family of four on 24 July 1964. She is from ...
at this time. The couple has a son,
Clarence Peters.
Career breakthrough
Sir Shina Peters and his International Stars released their first album ''Ace (Afro-Juju Series 1)'' in 1989. The album, which was released under CBS Records of Nigeria, went double platinum. "Ace," produced by
Laolu Akins
Olaolu Akintobi, popularly known as Laolu Akins (born November 1946) is a Nigerian music producer. He has worked with artists such as Shina Peters, Onyeka Onwenu, Adewale Ayuba, Mike Okri and Christy Essien-Igbokwe. He has produced Shina Peters ...
, is a musical fusion between Juju and
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 ...
. Afro juju musical style mixes fast percussive beat with the use of electronic keyboards, saxophone and guitar.
Some of the lyrics in the album especially in 'Ijo Shina' were quite racy for the period.
The album went on to garner awards for Peters including the artist and album of the Year at the Nigerian Musical Awards.
He followed 'Ace' with 'Shinamania'; the album had singles such as 'Oluwa Yo Pese', 'Omo Bo' and 'Give Our Women Chance'. Sir Shina Peters currently has 16 album releases to his credit.
Discography
#Way to Freedom (1980)
# Freedom (1981)
# Money Power (1982)
# Ko Temi fun mi (1984)
# Sewele (1986)
# Ace "Afro Juju Series 1 (1989)
# Shinamania (1990)
# Dancing Time (1991)
# Experience (1992)
# Mr. President (1993)
# My Child (1994)
# Kilode (1995)
# Love (1996)
# Reunion (1997)
# Playmate (1999)
# Happy Hour (2001)
# Pay Back Time (2005)
# Splendour (2006)
# D one 4 me (2012)
See also
*
List of Nigerian musicians
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Shina
Nigerian pop musicians
Yoruba musicians
Musicians from Ogun State
1958 births
Living people
20th-century Nigerian musicians
21st-century Nigerian musicians
The Headies winners
Yoruba-language singers of Nigeria