Prince Adekunle

General Prince Adekunle was a Nigerian Jùjú musician. He was of Egba origin, from Abeokuta in Ogun State. Prince Adekunle was a major innovator and force in the jùjú music scene, with his distinctive driving Afrobeat style. Famous musicians such as Sir Shina Peters and Segun Adewale started their careers playing with his band, the Western Brothers.[1] Although he toured in England in the early 1970s, he did not become well known outside Nigeria.[2]

Music

Jùjú music, first developed by Tunde King in the 1930s, formed the basis of Prince Adekunle's music. Highlife musicians like Bobby Benson and Tunde Nightingale introduced jazz concepts and new instruments. Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Adé brought in amplified guitars and synthesizers. All these formed the basis for Adekunle's innovative and forceful new style of juju music.[3] Afrobeat, pioneered in the late 1960s by Fela Kuti and others, was another major influence on Prince Adekunle and his band the Western State Brothers, later the Supersonic Sounds.[4] With a cool but driving, sophisticated style, Prince Adekunle is considered one of the great artistes of Jùjú music.[5]

Influence

Afrobeat also influenced Adekunle's protege Sir Shina Peters who created a unique high-speed "Afro juju" sound.[4] Sir Shina Peters recalls that when he was young, he was befriended by Prince Adekunle. An agent said he should be called Prince Adekunle's son as a publicity stunt, and that was how he became known as Shina Omo Adekunle. Although the adoption was not real, people accepted it and in a way it became real.[6] Shina Peters and Segun Adewale, who became two of the biggest stars of the 1980s, both started their careers performing in the mid-1970s with Prince Adekunle.[7]

Jùjú music star and Soko Dance exponent, Dayo Kujore, was another musician who owed much to Prince Adekunle, playing lead guitar on some of his classics such as "Aditu ede" and "Eda n reti eleya".[8]

In May 2004, he was among other musicians who met to discuss ways to reverse the current decline of jùjú music, while opposing the proposal by King Sunny Adé to form a jùjú Musician's Union.[9]

Death

Prince General Adekunle Died on Saturday September 2, 2017.

Discography

A partial list of LPs:[1]

Date Group Album Label
? Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers Orin Erin Tani Yio Fi We Label unknown AALPS 002
1970 Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers Awa Lomo Nigeria Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 1
1970s Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers Eniyan Laso Mi Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 3
1970s? Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers Se Rere Fun Mi / Fese Fun Wa Baba (7" 45) Ibukun Orisun Iye MOK. 5
1970s Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers Aiye Le Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 4
1970s General Prince Adekunle & his Western State Brothers General Prince Adekunle in the United Kingdom Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 6
1970s General Prince Adekunle & his Western Brothers Kaiye Ma Se Wa Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 10
1970s General Prince Adekunle & his Western Brothers Asalamu Aleikun Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 25
1975 General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds You Tell Me That You Love Me Baby Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 30
1975 General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds Sunny Adé (EP) Ibukun Orisun Iye MOEP25
1975 General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds Awodi Nfo Ferere Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 32
1979 General Prince Adekunle and His Supersonic Sounds Vol. 3 Hypertension Shanu Olu SOS 052
? General Prince Adekunle & his Western Brothers Good Old Music of Prince Adekunle Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 72
1980 General Prince Adekunle Vol. 6 Shanu Olu SOS 112
1989 Prince Adekunle (The General) & his Supersonic Sounds Survival Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 116
1990 General Prince Adekunle & his Supersonic Sounds People!!! Ibukun Orisun Iye MOLPS 118
  • "General Prince Adekunle ~ "Aiye Nreti Eleya / Aropin Ni T'enia"". YouTube. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  • "General Prince Adekunle ~ "Omo Niyi Omo Nide / A Ki Nromo Ra Loja"". YouTube. Retrieved 2 November 2009.

References
  1. "Discography of Prince Adekunle". John Beadle. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  2. TOSIN AJIRIRE (15 August 2004). "Shina Peters shocks kids with Will Says: 'Forget houses, cars, but you can have my master tapes'". The Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 18 November 2006. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  3. Frank Tenaille (2002). Music is the weapon of the future: fifty years of African popular music. Chicago Review Press. p. 16. ISBN 1-55652-450-1.
  4. "Various – Nigeria 70 : Lagos Jump". Paris DJs. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  5. Alexander Akorlie Agordoh (2005). African music: traditional and contemporary. Nova Publishers. p. 109. ISBN 1-59454-554-5.
  6. JULIANA FRANCIS (30 April 2004). "Shina Peter's revelation My life as Obey's houseboy". The Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  7. "Nigerian Music: 1980s and '90s". OnlineNigeria. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  8. Adeola Balogun (19 July 2008). "I got married as a band boy because condoms were not popular –Dayo Kujore". The Punch. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  9. Ayodele Lawal (7 May 2004). "Juju Makossa Star, Y.k. Ajao, Blasts Ksa". P.M. News (Lagos). Retrieved 2 November 2009.
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