TheNewsGuru

Tag: Highlife

  • SAD: Legendary highlife music maestro, Gwo Gwo singer, Mike Ejeagha is dead

    SAD: Legendary highlife music maestro, Gwo Gwo singer, Mike Ejeagha is dead

    Legendary highlife music maestro, Mike Ejeagha has passed away at the age of 95. He died on Friday around 8 p.m. at the 32 Garrison Hospital in Enugu State after a prolonged illness.

    Recall that in 2024, the veteran musician, renowned for his 1983 hit track ‘Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche’,  experienced a resurgence in popularity after popular skitmaker and dancer, Brain Jotter, used the Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo song for his viral dance moves.

    The dance involves two or more people facing opposite directions, walking towards each other, performing a humorous leg dance, and then one chases the other while the chorus ‘Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ plays in the background.

    Who is Mike Ejeagha?

    Ejeagha, celebrated for blending Igbo folklore and proverbs into timeless music, began his music career in the mid-20th century and has been influential in the evolution of music in the Igbo language for over 6 decades. His first hit was in 1960 – the year of Nigeria’s independence.

    He was a prominent figure on Nigerian radio in the 1980s, captivating audiences across generations with his distinctive style.

    Aside from being a great guitarist, Ejeagha is described as a distinct storyteller known for his ability to tell popular Igbo stories and folklore using his music.

    He has contributed over three hundred recordings to the National Archives of Nigeria produced during his fieldwork to investigate Igbo folklore highlife music.

    Some of his other songs include ‘Onye Ori Utaba’, ‘Enyi Ga Achi’, ‘Uwa Ngbede Ka Mma’, ‘Anyi Fulu Ozu Ene’, ‘Atualu Omalu’, ‘Elulube Lube’, ‘Onye Ndidi N’Eli Azu Ukpo’, ‘Udo Ka Nma’ and ‘Agbata Obi Onye Bu Nwanne Ya’.

    Ejeagha is considered one of the pioneers of the highlife genre in Nigeria.

  • BREAKING: Highlife legend, Chief Sally Young is dead

    BREAKING: Highlife legend, Chief Sally Young is dead

    Legendary highlife musician, Chief Daniel Iriferi, popularly known as Sally Young is dead.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the iconic Urhobo-born highlife legend Sally Young died on Sunday after a brief illness.

    Chief Sally Young, who hailed from Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, died at the age of 91.

    Sally Young is renowned for his hit songs such as oko oko, we ji vwe vwo and amongst many others.

    His songs in the 70s and 80s brought happiness to many hearts. Sally Young gave real meaning to Urhobo music in those days.

    As a little boy, Sally Young demonstrated so much love for music but his family disapproved it. However, he ignored everyone who was against him, and left home to pursue his love for music in Benin.

    It was in Benin that Sally Young soared into a musical sensation of no mean status.

    His songs are regularly performed at live band shows in Nigeria, and a number of young musicians have remixed some of his old hits, and his relevance continued to be felt.

  • BREAKING: Orlando Julius, veteran highlife musician is dead

    BREAKING: Orlando Julius, veteran highlife musician is dead

    Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, known professionally as Orlando Julius or Orlando Julius Ekemode is dead.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Orlando, a native of Ijebu Ijesha succumbed to the cold hands of death and breathed his last few hours ago at the age of 79.

    Bimbo Esho of Evergreen Music Company Limited confirmed the death of the highlife singer on Friday.

    According to her, wife of Orlando, Lady Latoya was the one who messaged her to inform her of the passing of the veteran highlife singer.

    “Bimbo Daddy Has Passed On… This was the message I stumbled on waking up at exactly 3am to peruse my watsapp page.. It was a message sent in to me by Orlando Julius beautiful and supportive wife Lady Latoya.

    “Orlando Julius a native of Ijebu Ijesha succumbed to the cold hands of death and breathed his last few hours ago at the age of 79.

    “We shall miss one of Nigeria’s fathers of Afro/Highlife Music , a gentleman and a fine Saxophonist.

    “May daddy Orlando Julius soul journey well . To the entire Ekemode family may God give you the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss,” Bimbo wrote on her official Facebook page.

    TNG reports Orlando was born in 1943 in Ikole, Nigeria to a merchant family during British colonialism.

  • I live in my personal house, get paid big -Flavour boasts

    I live in my personal house, get paid big -Flavour boasts

    Over the years, Nigerian singer Chinedu Okoli a.k.a Flavour has become one of the most celebrated music stars in Nigeria. The handsome singer in a recent chat with Bounce Radio monitored by TheNewsGuru, said young artistes are confused because they don’t stick to the genre that works for them.

    “That is why most young artistes are confused.Some of them are so good with highlife, some of them are so good with Fuji and other genres, but because everything is boxed in Afrobeats, everybody is now rushing to play Afrobeats.Whether you are good or not, you are trying to imitate the guys that are already there.I dont try to imitate anybody,I just upgrade my sound”.

    Flavour also noted that despite the COVID-19 limitations, he made money during the yuletide season.

    “December is usually my season to cash out.I think its also because of the kind of music I play.My kind of music is timeless, it fits into any kind of event, so even if we are not doing the crowded shows, there is something for everybody.I even performed in a church at Onitsha, diocese of a catholic church”.

    Sharing some of the gains of being a sought after musician, Flavour said he lives in his own house and his paid well.

    “I live in my personal house in Ikoyi.I get paid big now”.

    Going down memory lane, the soft spoken singer recounted how he finally came to Lagos in a night bus.

     

    “My movement to Lagos was gradual, because everything was in Enugu, I was okay in Enugu.I was big in Enugu with my album and I said to myself ‘I am bigger than this place’. I had to make that decision.One day, I took up my travel bag and joined the night bus, I didn’t even know where I was going to.I booked a hotel when I came to Lagos.I didn’t know anybody except Nigga Raw”

     

     

     

     

  • Highlife Music Legend, Chief Emeka Morocco Maduka is dead

    Highlife Music Legend, Chief Emeka Morocco Maduka is dead

    Popular Igbo music legend Chief Emeka Morocco Maduka has been declared dead on Thursday afternoon, October 29, at the ripe age of 73.

    Ikeme Mazeli, chairman of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (Anambra Chapter) broke the news of his demise in a press release to the world.

    The statement read: ”With a heavy heart of sorrow…We, the entire Anambra state PMAN announce the exit of a music Legend, Dr. Prince Morroco Maduka…..Ozonweluibe. He passed on this afternoon (Thursday, October 29th, 2020). All other arrangements as regards his planting to mother earth will be communicated to all of us later.”