Tony Oladipo Allen (20 July 1940 – 30 April 2020) was a Nigerian/Ghanaian drummer, composer, and songwriter who lived and worked in Paris, France. Allen was the drummer and musical director of

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 ...

's band Africa '70 from 1968 to 1979, and was one of the founders of the

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 ...

genre. Fela once stated that "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat". He was described by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived". Later in life, Allen collaborated with

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (, ; born 23 March 1968) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman, main vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Blur (band), Blur and the co-creator and primary musical con ...

on several projects, including

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

, the Good, the Bad & the Queen and

Rocket Juice & the Moon ''Rocket Juice & the Moon'' is the only album by the supergroup of the same name, formed in 2008. The group consisted of Damon Albarn, Flea, and Tony Allen. Album history The project was announced in mid-2008; however due to various other pro ...

Early career

Allen was born 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 ...

, Nigeria to James Alabi Allen, a motor mechanic from

British Nigeria Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1st of October 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. British influen ...

(now present day

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 Prudentia Mettle, from the Gold Coast (now present day

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

). He began playing drums at the age of 18, while working as an engineer for a radio station. Allen was influenced by music his father listened to: Jùjú, a popular Yoruba music from the 1940s, but also American jazz, and the growing

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 ...

scene in Nigeria and Ghana. Allen worked hard to develop a unique voice on the drums, feverishly studying LPs and magazine articles by

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

and

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

, but also revolutionary Ghanaian drummer

Guy Warren Guy Warren of Ghana, also known as Kofi Ghanaba (4 May 1923 – 22 December 2008), was a Ghanaian musician, most notable as the inventor of Afro-jazz — "the reuniting of African-American jazz with its African roots" — and as a member of The ...

(later known as Kofi Ghanaba – who developed a highly sought-after sound that mixed tribal Ghanaian drumming with bop – working with

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

, and

). Allen was hired by "Sir" Victor Olaiya to play

claves Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony ...

with his highlife band, the Cool Cats. Allen was able to fill the drum set chair when the former Cool Cats drummer left the band. Allen later played with Agu Norris and the Heatwaves, the Nigerian Messengers, and the Melody Makers.

Fela and Africa '70

In 1964,

invited Allen to audition for a jazz-highlife band he was forming. Kuti and Allen had played together as sidemen in the Lagos circuit. Fela complimented Allen's unique sound: "How come you are the only guy in Nigeria who plays like this – jazz and highlife?" Thus Allen became an original member of Kuti's "Koola Lobitos" highlife-jazz band. In 1969, following a turbulent and educational trip to the United States, Allen served as the musical director of Fela's band, Africa '70, which developed a new militant African sound, mixing the heavy groove and universal appeal of soul with jazz, highlife, and the

polyrhythm Polyrhythm () is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rh ...

ic template of Yoruba conventions. Allen developed a novel style to complement Fela's new African groove that blended these disparate genres. Allen recounted how he and Fela wrote in 1970: "Fela used to write out the parts for all the musicians in the band (Africa '70). I was the only one who originated the music I played. Fela would ask what type of rhythm I wanted to play.… You can tell a good drummer because we… have four limbs… and they are… playing different things… the patterns don't just come from Yoruba… utother parts of Nigeria and Africa." Allen recorded more than 30 albums with Fela and Africa '70. But by the late 1970s, dissension was growing in the ranks of Africa '70. Arguments over royalties/pay and recognition grew in intensity. As the inventor of the rhythms underpinning Afrobeat and musical director, Allen felt especially slighted. Fela stood his ground, saying he would get the royalties for his songs. Fela did support Allen's three solo recordings: ''Jealousy'' (1975), ''Progress'' (1977), and ''No Accommodation For Lagos'' (1979), but by 1979, Allen had chosen to leave Africa '70, taking many members with him. "'What makes me decide it's time to go? It's … everything...and (his) carelessness...like he doesn't care, like he doesn't know ...he doesn't feel he's done anything (wrong). And with all the parasites around too.... there were 71 people on tour by now and only 30 working in the band....you got to ask why. Those guys were sapping Fela of his Force, of his Music.' So Tony moved on, once again searching for his own sound."

Afrobeat to Afrofunk

Allen formed his own group, recording ''No Discrimination'' in 1980, and performing in Lagos until emigrating to London in 1984. Later moving to Paris, Allen recorded with

King Sunny Adé Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye (born 22 September 1946), known professionally as King Sunny Adé, is a Nigerian jùjú singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is regarded as one of the first African pop musicians to gain internationa ...

Ray Lema Raymond Lema A'nsi Nzinga (born 30 March 1946), known as Ray Lema, is a Congolese (DRC) musician. A pianist, guitarist, and songwriter, he settled in France in 1982.

and

Manu Dibango Emmanuel N'Djoké "Manu" Dibango (12 December 1933 – 24 March 2020) was a Cameroonian musician and songwriter who played saxophone and vibraphone. He developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian music. His father w ...

. Allen recorded ''N.E.P.A.'' in 1985. Post-Fela, Allen developed a hybrid sound, deconstructing and fusing Afrobeat with

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

, dub, R&B, and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

. Allen refers to this synthesis as ''afrofunk''. Allen returned with a much anticipated new project for his 13th release. Recorded live in Lagos, with a full-sized Afrobeat band, ''Lagos No Shaking'' (Lagos is OK) signified Allen's return to roots

after forays into avant-garde electronica hybrids. ''Lagos No Shaking'' was released on 13 June 2006.

Later work

Allen appeared on the

Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...

's compilation album ''

Red Hot and Riot ''Red Hot + Riot'' (a.k.a. ''Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti'') is the fourteenth in a series of music compilation projects produced by Paul Heck and John Carlin of the Red Hot Organization and Grammy-winning music producer ...

'' (2002) in tribute to

. Allen appeared alongside Res,

Ray Lema Raymond Lema A'nsi Nzinga (born 30 March 1946), known as Ray Lema, is a Congolese (DRC) musician. A pianist, guitarist, and songwriter, he settled in France in 1982.

Baaba Maal Baaba Maal (, born 13 June 1953) is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July ...

Positive Black Soul Positive Black Soul (also known as PBS) is a hip hop group based in Dakar, Senegal, one of the first such collectives in the country. Founded in 1989, the group is composed of Didier Sourou Awadi (alias DJ Awadi) and Amadou Barry (alias Doug E. ...

and

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

on a track entitled "No Agreement." Allen played drums throughout the 2003 album ''Love Trap'' by

Susheela Raman Susheela Raman (born 21 July 1973) is a British musician. She was nominated for the 2006 BBC World Music Awards. Her debut album ''Salt Rain'' was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2001. She is known for live performances built on the sacred ...

and also performed with her live. Allen recorded album "Live/Tony Allen" (2004) also. In 2006, Allen joined

Paul Simonon Paul Gustave Simonon (; born 15 December 1955) is an English musician and artist best known as the bassist for the Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen and playing on the Gorillaz alb ...

, and

Simon Tong Simon Tong (born 9 July 1972) is an English guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of the Verve between 1996 and 1999. He has played with Damon Albarn on tour with his bands Blur and Gorillaz, and as a member of the Good, the Bad & the Q ...

as drummer for the Good, the Bad & the Queen. Allen contacted Albarn after hearing the 2000 single " Music Is My Radar" by Albarn's band Blur, which references him. They released their self-titled debut album in 2007, followed by ''

Merrie Land ''Merrie Land'' is the second and final studio album by English art rock supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen. It was produced by Tony Visconti and released on 16 November 2018. Promotion The band announced the album with the single "Merrie ...

'' in 2018. Allen and Albarn also collaborated on the 2012 album ''

''. Allen played drums on two tracks on the 2007 album ''5:55'' by

Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British and French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress and singer Jane Birkin and French singer Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the ...

: "5:55" and "Night-Time Intermission", backed by French duo

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

and

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp (band), Pulp, he became a reluctant figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Cocker h ...

Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit * Pulp (band), an English rock band Engineering * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture ...

. He also made an appearance playing the drums in the video for "

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

" by French duo

in late 2007. He was a featured artist on

Zap Mama Zap Mama is a Belgian singer-songwriter, performer, composer, lyricist, activist, video artist and ethno-vocal therapist born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raised in Belgium. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music ...

's albums ''Supermoon'' (2007) and ''ReCreation'' (2009), adding his voice to the tracks "1000 Ways" and "African Diamond." Allen also contributed drums on "People Dansa", an afrobeat rhythm-fuelled track on the second album of the Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho, released in 2014. His album ''Secret Agent'' was released in June 2009 by World Circuit. He released ''A Tribute to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers'' (2017), a four-song EP on

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

featuring a reworked

version of

's "

Moanin' ''Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers'', also called ''Moanin, is a studio album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded on October 30, 1958, and released on Blue Note Records, Blue Note later that year. Background This was Blakey's firs ...

". In 2017, Allen collaborated with Malian singer

Oumou Sangaré Oumou Sangaré (; born 25 February 1968) is a Malian Wassoulou singer of Fulani ( Fula) descent. She is often referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou". Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from ...

for the track " Yere faga" from her album '' Mogoya''. Filmmaker Opiyo Okeyo released the documentary film ''Birth of Afrobeat'' (2019) about Allen's life in music. The film screened at

American Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (ABFF), originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival, is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film and works by black members of the film industry. The festival is held annually in ...

and won the

21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...

Global Inclusion Award for Emerging Voices at the

BlackStar Film Festival The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by BlackStar Projects. The festival focuses on films about and by Black, brown and indigenous people from around the world. It takes place each August in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I ...

. Damon Albarn and Tony Allen and band performed at a concert in the Netherlands, among then the Lowlands Festival (2019). ''Birth of Afrobeat'' was acquired by

American Public Television American Public Television (APT) is an American nonprofit organization and syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States. It distributes public television programs nationwide for PBS member stations and indepen ...

and had its television premiere January 20, 2020 on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. Allen was featured on the

track " How Far?" (2020) alongside

Skepta Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, record producer and DJ. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became founding members of ...

, as part of the band's ''

Song Machine ''Song Machine'' is an audiovisual project by British virtual band Gorillaz. It is a music video web series consisting of a collection of music videos and singles (music), singles that are released monthly by the band as episodes of the series, ...

'' project. Allen contributed to seven tracks on the album ''

Keleketla! ''Keleketla!'' is the self-titled studio album by British/South African musical project brought together by Johannesburg's Keleketla! Library founders Rangoato Hlasane and Malose Malahlela and English electronic music duo Coldcut. The album's tit ...

,'' (2020) a collaborative project co-ordinated by Johannesburg's Keleketla Library and English electronic musicians

Coldcut Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...

, recorded in both Soweto and London. Two posthumous Allen albums were released. ''There Is No End'' (2021) featured Allen on production alongside rappers and singers from around the world, including

Danny Brown Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known as Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He was described by MTV in 2011 as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory". After amassing ...

Nah Eeto Nah Eeto is a Kenyan rapper and videographer, currently releasing music on UK-based label Blah Records. She has collaborated with many English and African artists, and raps both in the Swahili and English language. She has worked with respected Af ...

, and

Sampa the Great Sampa Tembo (born August 9, 1993), known professionally as Sampa the Great, is a Zambian singer, rapper, and songwriter. Between 2014 and 2020, she was based in Australia. Note: this source was an agency for the artist. Her debut solo album, ' ...

. The second release after Allen's death was ''The Solution Is Restless'', a collaborative album featuring

Joan As Police Woman Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer who releases music as Joan As Police Woman. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Anohni and the Johnsons, ...

and Dave Okumu. 2021 also saw the release of

April March April March (born Elinor Lanman Blake; April 20, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter. Considering herself to be a "lifelong Francophile", she performs in the English and French languages. March is widely known for her France Gall/Serge Gainsb ...

's album ''In Cinerama'', which features Allen as a drummer; he is also credited for co-writing several tracks. An EP Allen recorded with the

Foals A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is ...

singer

Yannis Philippakis Yannis Barnabas Emanuel Philippakis (Greek: Ιωάννης "Γιάννης" Φιλιππάκης) (born 23 April 1986) is a Greek-born British singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is a founding member and the lead vocalist of the British indie ...

, ''Yannis & the Yaw'', was released in August 2024.

Death

On 30 April 2020, Allen died of abdominal

aortic aneurysm An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. Typically, there are no symptoms except when the aneurysm dissects or ruptures, which causes sudden, severe pain in the abdomen and lower back ...

at Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris. Tributes came from musicians and producers including

Flea Flea, the common name for the order (biology), order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by hematophagy, ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult f ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

Jeff Mills Jeff Mills (born June 18, 1963, in Detroit, Michigan), also known as "the Wizard", is an American DJ, record producer, and composer. In the late 1980s Mills founded the techno collective Underground Resistance with fellow Detroit techno pro ...

Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He has worked with acts including Radiohead, Travis, Beck, Air, Paul McCartney, U2, R.E.M., Pavement, Roger Waters, Arcade Fire and ...

and

Sean Lennon is a British-American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tige ...

said he was his "number one musical teacher" and that he would "never, ever play with anyone like him again".

Discography

; Solo discography and collaborations * ''Jealousy'' (with The Africa 70) (1975) * ''Progress'' (with The Africa 70) (1977) * ''No Accommodation for Lagos'' (with The Africa 70) (1979) * ''No Discrimination'' (with The Afro Messengers) (1979) * ''Never Expect Power Always'' (with Afrobeat 2000) (1985) * ''Too Many Prisoners'' (with Zebra Crossing) (1987) * ''Afrobeat Express'' (1989) * ''Black Voices'' (1999) * ''Black Voices Remixed'' (2000) * ''HomeCooking'' (2002) * ''Live'' (2004) * ''Lagos No Shaking'' (2006) * ''Secret Agent'' (2009) * ''Inspiration Information 4'' (with

Jimi Tenor Jimi Tenor (born Lassi O. T. Lehto, 1965) is a Finnish composer and a musician. His artist name is a combination of an instrument and the first name comes from Lassi's childhood. When he was little next door neighbour girls used to call him Jimi ...

) (2009) * ''Black Voices Revisited'' (2010) * ''Film of Life'' (2014) * ''A Tribute to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers'' (2014) * ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

'' (2017) * ''OTO Live Series'' (with Jimi Tenor) (2018) * ''Tomorrow Comes The Harvest'' (with

) (2018) * '' Rejoice'' (with

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and f ...

) (2020) * ''There Is No End'' (2021) * ''The Solution Is Restless'' (with

Dave Okumu David Jairus Ochieng Okumu (born 12 October 1976) is an Austrian singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist, best known for fronting the band the Invisible. His debut album, released in March 2009, was nominated for a Mercury Prize (2009) and s ...

and

) (2021) * ''Jazz is Dead 18'' (with

Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California, United States. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doct ...

) (2023) ;with Fela Kuti & The Africa 70 * ''

Fela's London Scene ''Fela's London Scene'' is an album by Nigerian Afrobeat composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti, recorded in England in 1971 and originally released on the Nigerian EMI label.Live! Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

'' (1971) * ''

Why Black Man Dey Suffer ''Why Black Man Dey Suffer'' is an album by Nigerian Afrobeat composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti recorded in 1971 and originally released on the Nigerian African Sounds label after EMI refused to release it.

'' (1971) * '' Open & Close'' (1971) * '' Roforofo Fight'' (1972) * ''

Shakara ''Shakara!'' is a science fiction comics character appearing in the British magazine '' 2000 AD'', starring in their own eponymous story, who was created by Robbie Morrison and Henry Flint. Plot The story is technically set in the present day ...

'' (1972) * '' Afrodisiac'' (1973) * ''

Gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

'' (1973) * ''

Confusion In psychology, confusion is the quality or emotional state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion"

'' (1974) * ''He Miss Road'' (1974) * ''Alagbon Close'' (1975) * ''Everything Scatter'' (1975) * ''Excuse O'' (1975) * '' Expensive Shit'' (1975) * ''Monkey Banana'' (1975) * ''Noise For Vendor Mouth'' (1975) * ''Ikoyi Blindness'' (1976) * ''Kalakuta Show'' (1976) * '' Na Poi'' (1976) * ''Unnecessary Begging'' (1976) * ''Upside Down'' (1976) * ''Yellow Fever'' (1976) * ''Fear Not For Man'' (1977) * ''J.J.D – Live at Kalakuta Republik'' (1977) * ''

No Agreement ''No Agreement'' is an album by Nigerian Afrobeat composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti. It was recorded in 1977 and originally released on the Nigerian Decca label. Reception AllMusic stated: "''No Agreement'' follows the ...

'' (1977) * ''Opposite People'' (1977) * ''

Sorrow Tears and Blood ''Sorrow Tears and Blood'' is an album by Nigerian Afrobeat composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti. It was recorded in 1977 and originally released on the Nigerian Kalakuta label. Music and lyrics Over a midtempo groove, and ...

'' (1977) * ''

Shuffering and Shmiling ''Shuffering and Shmiling'' is an album by Nigerian Afrobeat composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti. It was recorded in 1977 and released on the Nigerian Coconut label.Stalemate Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move. Stalemate results in a draw. During the endgame, stalemate is a resource that can enable the player with the inferior position ...

'' (1977) * ''

Zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

'' (1977) * '' Unknown Soldier'' (1979) * ''V.I.P.'' (1979) * ''Music of Many Colours'' (1980) * ''I Go Shout Plenty'' (1986, recorded in 1977) ; Other appearances * Various - ''Racubah! – A Collection of Modern Afro Rhythms'' ("Afro-Disco-Beat") (1999) * Various - ''Afrobeat...No Go Die!'' ("The Same Blood") (2000) *

Ernest Ranglin Ernest Ranglin (born 19 June 1932) is a Jamaican guitarist and composer who established his career while working as a session guitarist and music director for various Jamaican record labels, including Studio One and Island Records. Ranglin pl ...

- ''Modern Answers To Old Problems'' (2000) * Doctor L - ''Mountains Will Never Surrender'' (2000) * Various - ''The Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble'' (2001) * Psyco On Da Bus - ''Psyco On Da Bus'' (2001) * Bababatteur - ''Awa Band'' (2004) * New Cool Collective - ''Trippin'' (2006) *

The Good, the Bad & the Queen The Good, the Bad & the Queen were an English art rock supergroup composed of singer Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, bassist Paul Simonon of the Clash, guitarist Simon Tong of the Verve, and drummer Tony Allen of Fela Kuti's band Africa ...

- ''

'' (2007) *

- '' 5:55'' (2007) *

- ''Rocket Juice & the Moon'' (2012) * Various - '' The Rough Guide to African Disco'' ("Love Is A Natural Thing") (2013) * Chicago Afrobeat Project - ''What Goes Up'' (2017) *

Gonjasufi Sumach Valentine (born 1978), better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi. Life and career Ecks was born in 1978 to a Mexican mother and an American-Ethiopian father. He spent his formativ ...

- ''

Mandela Effect In psychology, a false memory is a phenomenon where someone recalls something that did not actually happen or recalls it differently from the way it actually happened. Suggestibility, activation of associated information, the incorporation ...

'' (featured artist on "Etherwave") (2017) * The Good, the Bad & the Queen - ''

'' (2018) * Keleketla - ''

'' (2020) *

and

- '' Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (Deluxe Edition)'' (featured on " How Far?") (2020) * Yannis & The Yaw - ''Lagos Paris London'' (2024) *

The Last Poets The Last Poets is a poetry collective and musical group that arose in the late 1960s as part of the African-American civil rights movement and black nationalism. The name was inspired by revolutionary South African poet Keorapetse Kgositsile who ...

& The Egypt 80 - ''Africanism'' (2024)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Tony 1940 births 2020 deaths Nigerian drummers Nigerian male musicians Nigerian bandleaders The Good, the Bad & the Queen members Musicians from Lagos World Circuit (record label) artists Astralwerks artists Wrasse Records artists Yoruba musicians Nigerian expatriates in France Koola Lobitos members Highlife musicians Africa '70 members

Early career

Fela and Africa '70

Afrobeat to Afrofunk

Later work

Death

Discography

See also

References

External links