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| Rolling Dollar |
Tributes
and eulogies trailed the Highlife icon, Late Fatai
Olayiwola Olagunju, popularly known as Fatai Rolling Dollar (FRD), when personalities from music
industry, business world and socio-cultural groups, to mention a few, paid
glowing tributes to the great musician last week Thursday, June 19, 2013, at Freedom
Park, Broad Street, Lagos.
Organised
by the iREP Film Forum, the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) and the Freedom
Park, there was a
session of musical tributes by his fellow veteran Highlife musicians and young
artistes whom he inspired and affected their career.
the
occasion was graced by a lot of people including the
man behind Ojez Restaurant and Entertainment Centre, Joseph Odebeatu, film
producer and director, Tunde Kelani, Jazzville (now called Praiseville) founder,
Mr. Muyiwa Majekodunmi, O. J. Oyewale from Ibadan, Oyo State, Omoba Adejumo,
Guests from French Consul General including Paschal Ott and international artiste,
Ade Bantu, among others.
Culture
advocate, Mr. Jahman Anikulapo, who anchored the show, showed appreciation to
Mr. Afolabi Shorunke who frequently visited FRD and helped him financially.
One of Nigeria's
broadcasters, media columnist, music critic and former manager to Fela
Anikulapo-Kuti, Benson Idonije, who almost every week wrote in his column on a newspaper that FRD’s
would rise again, in his tribute traced the success of FRD’s career from the
time he was re-discovered. He commended him for being committed in his career. “It
is one thing to bring someone to limelight and another thing for him to embrace
it, even though we contributed immensely to the coming back of FRD to
limelight, he was very committed to his career. He thanked everyone for
celebrating FRD, especially, Jazzhole for rebranding FRD which led to the
release of his hit song, ‘Won Kere Si Number Wa. “I want to thank
everyone for celebrating the legend. The celebration of FRD is as massive as
what late Fela got in 1997,” he said.
In his speech,
composer, producer and broadcaster, Gboyega
Oyedele, described the late octogenarian as a talented
musician Nigeria had.
According to him, “The beginning of my contact with
Rollong Dollar was in 1999, when I was an in-house producer for Jazzhole record
and we wanted to feature him in a culture and contemporary music and I said, ‘I
heard that name when I was small. Duro Ikujayo volunteered to take us to him at
one-room apartment in Mushin area of Lagos. When we got there I marvelled and
wonder the kind of country we are in because this is somebody I heard of his
popularity when we were young. Immediately, I said to myself: “This is a wicked
country.” We talked with him for four hours and he played some of his songs
that were not recorded, played his guitar and told us stories. Part of his
house was a joint where local drinks (Sepe) were sold and he was very popular
in that area. So we worked with him and that came about the release of his
album in 2002. Under that album, we were able to make it edgy and contemporary.
We also did a recording for his younger brother, Gani who was also an
accomplished Agidigbo player like Baba FRD.
“Somebody asked me last Friday about Rolling
Dollar’s genre of music and I said I don’t know. He played music with Caribbean
influence, Yoruba traditional influence, using the native thumb piano (Agidigbo),
Highlife; palm wine Highlife which is a bit different because of the chord. During
our tie with him, we told him that we want to do music that is ‘Afroish’ and
contemporary, he then stringed the guitar that sounded like 1950s Afro-beat. I
am sure Fela Kuti was inspired by Rolling Dollar. I am so glad that I could
work with a living legend that he was then. We worked with him, produced with him
and learnt something from him. He too learnt something from us. We accompanied
Rolling Dollar to a tour in Morocco in 2004, where he opened a massive show of
about 10,000 spectators,” Oyedele said.
He urged today’s musicians to look at where they
are coming from and where they are going. “One thing I put to young musicians
of today is a saying that “If you are not careful, the swagger of today would
become the stagger tomorrow. How many of today’s musicians would be singing and
playing an instrument while performing?” he queried.
It was a moment of sober reflection when an upcoming
artiste, Aduke recalled her performance with FRD at the Freedom Park in November
last year. She said when she went to the backstage that night; FRD woke up and
told her that she had a very beautiful voice. He said: Do not stop singing, and
I said ‘wow!’I am very sad about his demise because I did not learn
how to play wire guitar from him.
Aduke’s song “Goodbye Papa, I will try not to cry, Goodbye to old
friend, I am trying to hold back the tears,” really aroused emotion. Her song went on to say: “We will meet never to part. Greet Fela, Bob Marley,
Steve Rhodes.”
A Nigerian Lawyer, historian and music advocate, Emeka Keazor: said
when he met Fatai, for the first time, he told himself that ‘this is my chance
to live my dream,’ which means collaborating with Fatai. “Ojez gave him an
opportunity to always perform at the restaurant. I was filled with admiration
when I saw Fatai who lost his children, wife and belongings still came up to
smile, perform and dance. I was filled with admiration so I begged him to
record. It was not difficult for me to convince him because he was always ready
to participate in any positive thing about music. In 2005, we had a historic
recording with him at two studios in Surulere, Lagos, where he rehearsed for
the production of his album. It was an experience I will not forget in my short
life. He was energy personified. We were there between 4.30 and 5 am in the
morning and that old man was still pumping. Fatai knew what he wanted and
suggested the right way for us to achieve the best result.
“Along the line, I suffered from cancer and was ill for a long time, so
I called Fatai from Europe where I was receiving treatment and told him what I
was going through. He asked me to return to Nigeria and take herbs that would
cure the sickness. The last time I saw him was at Freedom Park last year
ending. We hugged and talked. But before that time, I gave him a gift of guitar
and he said, ”Ha! You have married a wife for me.”
Keazor advised the audience not to mourn Fatai’s death, and asked
everyone to show appreciation to God and Olagunju’s family for giving them
Fatai. “We are grateful for having him for the few years he spent with us and
grateful for the privilege to be close to him, to touch and work with him. I am
blessed. I was at a concert on June 9, and I told someone that we need to value
some of the talents we have, that he should watch people like Fatai whenever
they are performing. My wife and I cried when we heard that he died few days
after. I am not soft but I cried because we lost a great man. It was not tears
of sadness but tears of joy that Fatai was a blessing to us and our nation.”
He played a song titled Omoba which is yet to release that he recorded
with Fatai in which Fatai talked about his life.
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| Rolling Dollar |
Also,
commenting, a foremost Nigerian dramatist and arts teacher, Jimi Solanke who
came from Ife in Osun State, said he met Rolling Dollar in 1970-71. Full of
energy, the 77-year-old poet did not talk for a long time but played two songs
in honour of him titled: ‘Omo Laso’ and ‘Oju mi ro eyele’ in which he said “the
dead are not dead, they are in the air we breathe, water we drink and so on.”
Pa Solanke
showed appreciation to God for giving him the opportunity to celebrate Rolling
Dollar.
Solanke’s performance preceded the
screening of a documentary film about the life and career of FRD. Titled:
‘Rolling Dollar: A Legend Unplugged,’ the film was produced and directed by
Femi Odugbemi and released in March this year. The film summarises his life and
career.
In that film, the legend shared his
experience and said when he was growing up, his parents did not allow him to
play music because they regarded music, barbing, tailoring and driving as odd
jobs which Lagosians did not allow their children to do. “But I was a rascal so
I went into music. There was a popular band known as Calabar band. When people
were returning from pilgrimage in Mecca, their people would hire the band to
follow them to Iddo, Lagos to welcome their loved ones. So I went there without
telling anybody. So I developed my interest in music from there couple with my
visit to a few pub in Lagos then.
The film also revealed FRD’s one room
apartment, where he lived after he lost his wife, children and home on February
18, 1977, when some men from the Nigerian Army (Unknown Soldier) invaded Fela
Kuti’s Kalakuta Republic in Lagos which was
close to his home.
One day, someone encouraged him to look
for a job and took him to a company he was working as a security officer. So,
he accepted the job and did a permanent night duty so that people would not see
a popular musician doing a security job, though, he was always playing his
guitar while working till he left after for six years after he was attacked and
injured by six armed robbers who robbed their company. He later got another job
as a guitarist at a church where he was paid stipend before he was relieved of
his job because he’s a Muslim who did not close his eyes during prayers and a
chain smoker.
The film also showed how he went back to
do music and visited many countries including France, Germany and United Kingdom.
The
legend is gone but his legacy lives on the minds of his loved ones. On the
World Music Day, last Friday, June 20, 2013, they were a lot of activities
geared towards commemorating the life of the music icon. Ade Bantu who
performed at Freedom Park on that day also centered it on FRD.
There
was a Fidau prayer for him last Friday at a mosque, followed by a performance
at the National Theatre in his honour.
The news
of the death of the De Deons brand Ambassador came as a shock to his family members,
friends and fans in the early hours of June 12, 2013. Born on July 22, 1928 to
the family of late Chief Olagunju in Ede, Osun State, he died at Marritol
Hospital, Surulere, Lagos, at the age of 85. On Thursday, June 13, 2013, his
final journey began at about 9.30am when his corpse was laid-in-state at his
Oko-Oba, Lagos residence. Shortly after, his remains were transferred to his Ikorodu
residence at No. 14, Unity Street, Maya Village, Ikorodu, Lagos, where he was
buried. The Muslim funeral service was officiated by Chief Imam, Olarenwaju
Yusuf, who was assisted by other clergies. The Nigeria’s oldest practicing
musician is survived by many wives and children.
The Kokoma musician began his musical career
in 1953. He joined some musicians like Julius Araba and Sax Ishola W Paynee
to set up a band that used to entertain at Island club, Lagos before he formed
his own band. They performed in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and other
dignitaries during her visit to Nigeria at the Tafawa Balewa Square in 1956 and
at Independence celebration in 1960. Many professional musicians including Evangelist Ebenezer Obey and
Late Dr. Orlando Owoh, amongst others went through his tutelage. In fact, he is
one of the pioneers of Juju music genre in Nigeria. Ranka Dade and O gbaoyaya are some of the hit
songs he released.
Despite
his age, the multi-talented musician was active on stage. Some of his fans recalled his last
performance on TV, which was on March 14, 2013, on Nigerian Idol Season 3
stage, where he performed with dexterity one of his evergreen music ‘Won Kere
si Number Wa’.
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| Rolling Dollar |
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