MY MUSIC

The earliest I can remember about music was in the 70s when my Uncle who is presently the king of our small town gets on his guitar and starts strumming and there I am singing in harmony to his various tunes. Those are times that I always look forward to in the 70s as a young boy. Rare times they are because this only happens when my uncle comes home from his boarding school during the holidays.

Growing up in my adolescent time, I was very rascally, I was a street DJ in Lagos; I love miming songs from Michael Jackson, Kool and the Gang, James Taylor, The temptations. Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Earth Wind, and Fire, just name it!

After my college of education certificate, I taught for two years in Kaduna, I went back to the university to study Architecture and my life took a spin, it was a total turn around. I became born again! A very difficult moment for me musically, I thought that was it, gone forever; I can never listen again to the kind of music that I love! Well, I made up my mind that it was well worth it. Anything for Jesus! I’m giving it up to save my soul I thought. I joined the Calvary Youth Singers, the choir arm of my fellowship (CCF NIFES). The closest I could get to the kind of music I like was the music of Ron Kenoly, ‘God is able” I remembered being drafted by the then leadership of “CYS” as we are fondly called in the campus then to anchor the solo of the song during our regular yearly concert “musical explosion”. Trust me; I was all over the stage to the amazement or awestruck endurance of my conservative fellowship members! Around 1995/96 a very dear friend and senior ModupeAkinyosoye introduced me to a gospel artist that changed my life…Helen Baylor! No, it is a lie! “This cannot be Gospel music,” I thought. Gospel music in contemporary form was born in my life. I later got to know the Winans, Bebecece, Toby mac, and his first group(DC Talk). There and then I swore to let every youth know about contemporary gospel music. I took my vision to the late AyoOmotosho of the then new radio station sunshine FM in Akure, I got my own hour slot on the radio to push my brand of Gospel music around 98/99, and further went to Ado FM to do so on both radio stations in Ekiti, thanks to Bolatito Joseph.

I have been writing my own songs since our days in “CYS” I still remembered the first song I wrote, well not the content or title but the reactions from my colleagues was priceless, they laughed to the highest heavens and they were literally rolling on the floor with laughter back in 95”. That did not discourage me; it only encourages me to keep trying. I later contributed about 3 or 4 songs to our only project as a group to date and I had a hand in almost all the songs recorded for the project either as a songwriter contributor or soloist!