Rex Lawson
Encyclopedia
Rex Jim Lawson known as Cardinal Rex, was a singer, trumpeter and bandleader from Kalabari (Ijaw), Nigeria
. One of the best-known highlife
musicians of the 1960s, Lawson took highlife music to an intoxicating peak that has hardly been heard again after him.
Lawson played with Sammy Obot, Bobby Benson
, Victor Olaiya
, Chris Ajilo, and other Ghana
ian and Nigerian musicians and bands. His greatest success came as the leader of the Mayors Dance Band; their recorded hits include So ala teme, Yellow Sisi, Gowon Special, and Jolly Papa. His most popular hit is probably Love Adure, which is still a sure floor-filler in Nigeria to this day.
A highly emotional and deep musician, Lawson was known to weep and shed tears while singing his own songs on stage, notably the haunting So ala teme. The late Sir Maliki Showman, the famous Nigerian tenor saxophonist who played with Rex Lawson, Bobby Benson
and Victor Uwaifo
, remembers Lawson as always placing music over money. Lawson is famed for his infectious gregariousness, his musical vision, talent, perseverance and individuality.
Lawson died in 1971 in a car accident on his way to play a show in Warri, Nigeria
. He was 36 years old.
His music is loved to this day in Nigeria. His songs are regularly performed and danced at live band shows in Nigeria, and a number of young musicians have resang some of his old hits, and his relevance continues to be felt.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. One of the best-known highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
musicians of the 1960s, Lawson took highlife music to an intoxicating peak that has hardly been heard again after him.
Lawson played with Sammy Obot, Bobby Benson
Bobby Benson
Bobby Benson was an entertainer and musician who had considerable influence on the Nigerian music scene, introducing big band and Caribbean idioms to the Highlife style of popular West African music.-Life:...
, Victor Olaiya
Victor Olaiya
Victor Abimbola Olaiya, or 'Dr Victor Olaiya', is a Nigerian trumpeter who plays in the Highlife style. He was possibly the biggest star in Nigeria in the 1950s and early 1960s, but received little recognition outside of Nigeria...
, Chris Ajilo, and other Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian and Nigerian musicians and bands. His greatest success came as the leader of the Mayors Dance Band; their recorded hits include So ala teme, Yellow Sisi, Gowon Special, and Jolly Papa. His most popular hit is probably Love Adure, which is still a sure floor-filler in Nigeria to this day.
A highly emotional and deep musician, Lawson was known to weep and shed tears while singing his own songs on stage, notably the haunting So ala teme. The late Sir Maliki Showman, the famous Nigerian tenor saxophonist who played with Rex Lawson, Bobby Benson
Bobby Benson
Bobby Benson was an entertainer and musician who had considerable influence on the Nigerian music scene, introducing big band and Caribbean idioms to the Highlife style of popular West African music.-Life:...
and Victor Uwaifo
Victor Uwaifo
Sir Victor Uwaifo is a Nigerian musician, writer, sculptor, and musical instrument inventor, born in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria in 1941. He is famous for his joromi music....
, remembers Lawson as always placing music over money. Lawson is famed for his infectious gregariousness, his musical vision, talent, perseverance and individuality.
Lawson died in 1971 in a car accident on his way to play a show in Warri, Nigeria
Warri, Nigeria
Warri is a major oil city in Delta State, Nigeria, with a population of over 300,000 people. The people of Warri are mainly the Urhobos, Itsekiris, and Ijaws, but other ethnic groups also live within the city. Warri is predominantly Christian, as is most of Southern Nigeria...
. He was 36 years old.
His music is loved to this day in Nigeria. His songs are regularly performed and danced at live band shows in Nigeria, and a number of young musicians have resang some of his old hits, and his relevance continues to be felt.
External links
- Rex Lawson, Listen to Rex Lawson's music Online
- Rex Lawson, Contemporary Africa Database - gives date of death as 1976
- Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, Nigeria-Arts.net