Roy Chicago
Encyclopedia
Roy Chicago (d. February 5, 1989) was an indigene of Ikare-Akoko in Ondo State
, Nigeria
.
He was a musician and band leader who played in the Highlife
style, introducing talking drums into the musical style. He moved to Lagos
from Ibadan
in the late 1950s, and was most popular during the 1960s. In contrast to Victor Olaiya
, whose music was based on Ghana
ian melodies and progressions, Roy Chicago based his music on Nigerian indigenous themes and folklores.
He was one of the highlife musicians who changed his name to a purely Western form, perhaps to make it sound more cool.
before moving to Lagos.
In his early years, Roy Chicago was helped by Bobby Benson
who guided him in playing the saxophone and leading a band. After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Roy Chicago became increasingly successful with hits such as "Iyawo Pankeke", "Are owo niesa Yoyo gbe" and "Keregbe emu".
In the 1960s, Victor Olaiya
's International All Stars and Roy Chicago's Abalabi Rhythm Dandies were two of the leading highlife bands in Nigeria, both led by graduates of the Bobby Benson Orchestra. Roy Chicago became well known at the Abalabi Hotel in Mushin
, introducing the talking drum into highlife.
With the Nigerian Civil War
of 1967-1970, highlife became less popular at the expense of Yoruba
-derived Jùjú music
, since the Igbo people
from the breakaway regions of eastern Nigeria had run many of the top highlife bands.
The result was an increase in popularity of the easy-going and less rigid juju form of music at the expense of highlife.
At a low point in Chicago's career in the 1970s, Bobby Benson helped again by providing musical equipment and giving him a place to stay in Surulere
.
Roy Chicago's highlife style had its accent anchored on rhythm. He explained Nigerian folksongs with vocals by Tunde Osofisan, one of the finest singers on the highlife scene.
Although his style could not be called a jazz derivative, there are blue notes in his saxophone parts and "cool" jazz intonations and phrases, which are closer to traditional Yoruba music than to highlife.
and Calabar
i background. Lawson apprenticed with Bobby Benson
, Victor Olaiya
, and Roy Chicago before striking out on his own with a unique blend of Igbo lyrics sung over Calabari rhythms.
Jimi Solanke, the playwright, poet and folk singer, was another singer with his band.
The band's recording of his composition "Onile-Gogoro" became one of the most memorable highlife hits of the 1960s.
Alaba Pedro, a guitarist from Roy Chicago’s band, went on to play with Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, O.J. to his friends.
Alaba Pedro joined Roy Chicago in 1961 and stayed with the band until the time of the civil war, when it disbanded in 1969. He recalls that "It was a highly disciplined band ... The band was versatile and could play almost all types of music, but ... highlife [was] its specialty, which relied more on Nigerian melodies with rhythms rooted in indigenous elements."
Peter King
, one of Nigeria's greatest tenor sax players, started with Roy Chicago's band in Lagos before going to England to study music.
Ondo State
Ondo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...
, Nigeria
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...
.
He was a musician and band leader who played in the 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...
style, introducing talking drums into the musical style. He moved to Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
from Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
in the late 1950s, and was most popular during the 1960s. In contrast to 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...
, whose music was based on 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 melodies and progressions, Roy Chicago based his music on Nigerian indigenous themes and folklores.
He was one of the highlife musicians who changed his name to a purely Western form, perhaps to make it sound more cool.
Career
Roy Chicago started playing in the 1950s at Central Hotel on Adamasingba Street in IbadanIbadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
before moving to Lagos.
In his early years, Roy Chicago was helped by 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:...
who guided him in playing the saxophone and leading a band. After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Roy Chicago became increasingly successful with hits such as "Iyawo Pankeke", "Are owo niesa Yoyo gbe" and "Keregbe emu".
In the 1960s, 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...
's International All Stars and Roy Chicago's Abalabi Rhythm Dandies were two of the leading highlife bands in Nigeria, both led by graduates of the Bobby Benson Orchestra. Roy Chicago became well known at the Abalabi Hotel in Mushin
Mushin, Nigeria
Mushin is a suburb of Lagos, located in Lagos State, Nigeria, and is one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas. It is located 10 km north of the Lagos city core, adjacent to the main road to Ikeja, and is a largely a congested residential area with inadequate sanitation and low-quality housing....
, introducing the talking drum into highlife.
With the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
of 1967-1970, highlife became less popular at the expense of Yoruba
Yoruba music
The music of the Yoruba people of Nigeria is best known for an extremely advanced drumming tradition, especially using the dundun hourglass tension drums. Yoruba folk music became perhaps the most prominent kind of West African music in Afro-Latin and Caribbean musical styles...
-derived Jùjú music
Jùjú music
Jùjú is a style of Nigerian popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. The name comes from a Yoruba word "juju" or "jiju" meaning "throwing" or "something being thrown." Juju music did not derive its name from juju, which "is a form of magic and the use of magic objects or...
, since the Igbo people
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
from the breakaway regions of eastern Nigeria had run many of the top highlife bands.
The result was an increase in popularity of the easy-going and less rigid juju form of music at the expense of highlife.
At a low point in Chicago's career in the 1970s, Bobby Benson helped again by providing musical equipment and giving him a place to stay in Surulere
Surulere
Surulere is a residential and commercial area, and a Local Government Area located on the Lagos mainland in Lagos State, Nigeria, with an area of 23 km². It is part of Metropolitan Lagos...
.
Music
Roy Chicago combined the trumpet and saxophone with vocals. Playing with Bobby Benson in the 1950s, he performed ball room dance and highlife, fox trot, tango, waltz, quick step, jive and Latin American music. His sidemen included tenor sax player Etim Udo and trumpeter Marco Bazz.Roy Chicago's highlife style had its accent anchored on rhythm. He explained Nigerian folksongs with vocals by Tunde Osofisan, one of the finest singers on the highlife scene.
Although his style could not be called a jazz derivative, there are blue notes in his saxophone parts and "cool" jazz intonations and phrases, which are closer to traditional Yoruba music than to highlife.
Legacy
One of the alumni of his band was the trumpeter/vocalist Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, who came of mixed IgboIgbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
and Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
i background. Lawson apprenticed with 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...
, and Roy Chicago before striking out on his own with a unique blend of Igbo lyrics sung over Calabari rhythms.
Jimi Solanke, the playwright, poet and folk singer, was another singer with his band.
The band's recording of his composition "Onile-Gogoro" became one of the most memorable highlife hits of the 1960s.
Alaba Pedro, a guitarist from Roy Chicago’s band, went on to play with Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, O.J. to his friends.
Alaba Pedro joined Roy Chicago in 1961 and stayed with the band until the time of the civil war, when it disbanded in 1969. He recalls that "It was a highly disciplined band ... The band was versatile and could play almost all types of music, but ... highlife [was] its specialty, which relied more on Nigerian melodies with rhythms rooted in indigenous elements."
Peter King
Peter King (afrobeat)
Peter King is a Nigerian musician who played several instruments, but was best known as an alto saxophonist playing a combination of Afrobeat and Jazz....
, one of Nigeria's greatest tenor sax players, started with Roy Chicago's band in Lagos before going to England to study music.