Entertainment
All About Late Music ICON Singer Victor Uwaifo
Legendary singer and guitarist, Sir Victor Uwaifo, is dead. ‘Guitar Boy’, as he was popularly called, died six months after celebrating his 80th birthday in March.
His son, Uwaifo Peter de Rock, broke the news of his death on his Facebook page.
He wrote: “Daddy whyyyyyyyyyy? Why did you leave us? “Prof Sir Victor Uwaifo has gone to rest
Black Saturday for me nooow. “One week now after collaborating with me.”
Also, confirming the sad news Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman , Copyrights Society of Nigeria, COSON, said he was dumbfounded as he needed to get a clearer picture of what happened to the legendary singer.
“Victor Uwaifo is not just a friend to me, he was a man I respected so much. I cannot say much now because I need to know what happened to him, “ Okoroji said.
Meanwhile, a source close to the family said the guitarist died after a brief illness.
Uwaifo was the first musician in Nigeria to be awarded the National Merit Honours of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).
He was also the first Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Nigeria.
Born in Benin on March 1, 1941, Uwaifo was one of the foremost highlife musicians in Nigeria. He was a trained sculptor, philosopher, poet and musical instrument inventor. His ‘Joromi’, hit song released in 1965, won for Nigeria the first Gold Disc Record ever to come out of the continent of Africa in a competitive world. Uwaifo is the first Benin man to receive the Nigerian National Honours; Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) in 1983, for his contributions to creativity and industry.
He was appointed and sworn-in as Justice of the Peace (JP) 1990. He is also the first and foremost Honourable Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Nigeria (Edo State), former lecturer in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin. He was honoured with an award in 2018 by the Association of Nigerian Musicologists for his outstanding music performance and leadership.
He was the Silverbird Man of the Year 2015 and honourary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the highest literary academic body in Nigeria. Education: National Diploma (Graphics},Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, 1963, BA Hon (First Class), 1995, Masters degree (MFA) sculpture, 1997, Ph.D (Visual Arts), University of Benin, Nigeria. Project Title: Production of Architectural Sculpture in Nigeria: A Re-Invention of Ancient Benin Royal Altar Pieces into Contemporary Art Using Synthetic Polymer Materials
Uwaifo stands out today, intellectually sound both in mind and body as the most educated performing music icon in the world and the most read contemporary superstar still relevant over 50 years on stage till date. He has over 600 songs and 100 records to his credit with 8 gold and 2 silver awards. Each record is music of serious research and philosophical work equivalent to academic journal. He’s a member of the Performing Rights Society of London (PRS), a trustee of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). In 2016, Victor Uwaifo was inducted into the Grammy Award Museum in Los Angelis, USA.
He has inspired generations of musicians in Nigeria and beyond and still counting.
In a WhatsApp chat with with The Tide source during the celebration of his 80th birthday, Uwaifo described Joromi as the evergreen song which brought him international prominence.
Joromi, composed in the singer’s local dialect, was a five-minute track, and had for its solo, a mastery of skills on a variety of musical instruments including the electric guitar with an accompaniment of percussion and the electric piano.
Uwaifo also made use of vocals in making beats, which added more flavour to the song. The song, based on a folktale of the ancient Bini people tells the story of an undefeated warrior, named Joromi who had wrestled and defeated rivals until he was the ultimate warrior on earth. Without any more rivals, he decided to take the battle to the afterlife. Against the counsel of the elders, the fearsome Joromi engaged in battle with a warrior from the afterlife. This personal quest led to his end as he neither returned nor did the people of Bini till this day hear any news about him.
However, 52 years after ‘Joromi’ ruled the airwaves, Uwaifo still regards the song as his greatest hit till date.
Little wonder, the living legend once sued singer Simi for N50 million for using the word ‘Joromi’
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.
Nancy Briggs
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