Tributes Pour In For Late Fuji Musician

Tributes Pour In For Late Fuji Musician

Nigerians at home and abroad have been paying glowing tributes to the departed souls of Nigeria 's foremost Fuji musician, Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde ‘Barrister' Balogun.

Barrister died in the early hours of Thursday, at Saint Mary Hospital , London , after a protracted illness. He had been in and out of the hospitals in Lagos , India , Germany and London since the last two years.

Tributes

In a tribute to the late musician, President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Dele Abiodun, called for the late Barrister to be immortalised.

He said the late Fuji musician “Was truly sick, but we hoped he would survive and get out of it.” But it was not meant to be…God did it as it pleased Him...The industry is in mourning'' .

A former President of the musician association and Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria, Chief Tony Okoroji, described the Fuji music maestro, “as a towering performer and an exceptional artiste who, through his creative genius, turned what was a simple religious music form into one of the most infectious popular music styles in Nigeria over the last several decades ”.

Tony Okoroji said the death of Sikiru Ayinde Barrister is “ another big loss of a great songwriter, dedicated musician and a great showman.''

The Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) in a statement, praised the ‘Fuji Garbage' exponent as “ a leading creator of the Fuji brand of music, a combination of Juju, Apala and traditional Yoruba Blues, which he introduced in the late 1970s.”

The statement further noted that “during his lifetime, Barrister recorded so many groundbreaking hit songs which are reference points for today's young artistes” .

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Tunde Kelani said his upcoming movie, ‘Ma'ami' , is dedicated to the late singer. He said Barrister's duet with Yinka Davies, is featured in the film.

According to him, he had wanted Barrister to perform the song live for the filming, but the musician was unable to do so, due to his condition. His brother substituted for him. “If you see his brother playing it in the film, you won't know it is not Barrister,” said Kelani.

“ Definitely, ‘Ma'ami is a tribute to him,” the film director concluded.

Barrister, a recipient of some honorary doctorate degrees for his exploit as a musician, was one of Nigeria 's best known singers/songwriters who played an essential role in the evolution of the music in his homeland.

Biography

The leader of a 25- piece band, the Supreme Fuji Commanders and a smaller group, the Africa International Musical Ambassadors.

Barrister sang most of his life. By the age of 10 , he had mastered Were , a complex Yoruba vocal style that was traditionally performed during the holy month of Ramadan.

Although, he briefly attended a Muslim school and later Yaba Higher School , now Yaba College of Technology, in 1961 , financial difficulties prevented him from completing his educational ambition. On leaving school, he gained employment as a stenographer.

During the civil war between 1967 and 1970 , he served in the army.

He later joined the Nigeria-based Africa Songs Limited label where he recorded many ground-breaking singles during the 1970s and 1980s.

He laid the foundation of Fuji , which he named after Mt. Fuji , the Japanese mountain of love, a genre that was taken from Juju, but without the guitars and a percussion conversation.

Some of his hit records include Aye , Fuji Garbage and Fantasia Fuji .

NP/Evelyn/Qasim/Yinka