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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZOKOSUN, Sonny(b 1 January 1947, Benin City, Nigeria; d 24 May 2008, Washington DC of cancer) Singer, composer, guitarist. From a musical family, he was inspired by Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard, but became an actor first with the Eastern Nigeria Theatre, taking up guitar only in 1964, forming his first band the Postmen in 1966, playing pure pop. He joined Sir Victor Uwaifo as second guitarist 1969-71, learning his trade on tours of Europe and Japan; developing his own style, a mixture of Bendel highlife and Santana-style rock which he called Ozzidi, said to mean 'message'. He formed Paperback Ltd in 1972, later changing the name of the band to Ozzidi. He added an 's' to his name and was known both as Okosun and Okosuns. The rock influence was still strong and he began to fuse rock and reggae with Ozzidi; his first three albums Ozzidi, Living Music and Ozzidi For Sale '76-7 each sold over 100,000, but the next, Fire In Soweto, became a huge hit throughout West Africa and was licensed to Oti in London. He had taken the position at a time when Africans were still fighting for their freedom that songs needed a message; 'Fire In Soweto' was a protest against apartheid in South Africa, and other songs promoted African unity and black pride. 'All my mates were singing love songs,' he said in an interview; 'I was trying to talk about what was happening to black people.' Further hit albums included Papa's Land '77, Holy Wars '78, Third World and The Gospel According To Ozzidi '80, Mother And Child '82, Togetherness and Which Way Nigeria '83. Neither his musical nor his political message was radical, unlike Fela Kuti, for example, he did not directly challenge a government. Musically, he believed that the elements of funk and reggae were simply returning to Africa, where they had orinally come from. He was the first African star to perform in the newly independent Zimbabwe; he toured Europe, Cuba and throughout Africa, but his rock/reggae fusion and trenchant lyrics also appealed in the USA, where he made a successful tour in 1984 and released the compilation Liberation on Shanachie. In 1985, he joined Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Cliff, Lou Reed, Jackson Browne, Miles Davis, Rubén Blades, Bob Dylan, Run-D.M.C. and members of U2 and the Rolling Stones on Sun City: Artists United Against Apartheit, a project organized by Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul (see Steve Van Zandt). Allmusic.com says it was one of the most listenable of all the charity albums of the era; it was reissued on Razor & Tie in 2007. Okosun and the Malopoets (from Soweto) were the only Africans on the record. His album Revolution II the same year was on EMI. He turned to gospel, and by the time of the hit CD Songs Of Praise '94 on Sterns he called himself Evangelist Sonny Okosuns; The Ultimate Collection '96 on Avco Music UK compiled his early hits. Late in life he took in homeless children, and ran his household like a commune. |