Sonny Okosun

Okwerri was a member of the Mbari Club, the movement started by Ulli Beier, with J. P. Clark and Wole Soyinka was a meeting spot for artists and writers. It was there that Okosun began to develop an interest in music.[5] Appearances at the Eastern regional television station gained him notice from Mariam Okagbue, who bought him a guitar and encouraged him to continue working on music. In 1965, he was a participant in a drama group that won the first prize at a competition, the group's winning play was a dramatic version of J. P. Clark's Song of a Goat and Okwerri's Masquerades.[4] As the winning group they represented Nigeria in the 1965 Commonwealth Arts Festival held in London. He used the opportunity to tour England attending concerts by the Rolling Stones, The Who, and Herman's Hermits. When he returned, Okosun joined the cast of Ukonu's Club, an Eastern Nigeria Television variety show where he was able to showcase his guitar playing abilities.[6]

In 1966, he joined the band the Postmen[4] as a rhythm guitarist.[6] The band played the music of Cliff Richard, Elvis Presley and the Beatles.[5]

At the onset of the civil war, Okosun and his family who were from the Mid-West and not from Eastern Nigeria had to flee the region and move to Lagos. In Lagos, he worked as a stagehand for a television station and jammed with a number of groups. In 1969, he found steady work as a second guitarist in Victor Uwaifo's Maestros. Uwaifo, still riding on his hit, "Joromi", took his band to a tour in Japan and Europe.[7] While, he was with Uwaifo, he honed his skills in musical composition by experimenting with a fusion of African and rock rhythms.[6]

From 1972 to 1974, he led a band that was originally called Paperback Limited but later regrouped as Ozzidi.[8] Prior to regrouping as Ozzidi, he and some members of his group teamed with Fela and his group, the Koola Lobitos, to play gigs in the Yaba area of Lagos. On forming Ozzidi, Okosun released several albums either with the band or as a solo artist.[8] The albums included Ozzidi, Living Music and Ozzidi for Sale. His early Ozzidi sound combined the highlife roots of his Edo heritage with a touch of guitar riffs.[9]

He had his first break with the single "Help", which sold close to a hundred thousand copies in Nigeria.[7] The lineup of the Ozzidi band was headed by Okosun as lead vocalist, supported by three backup dancers, a trombone player, keyboardist, bass and trap drums.

Towards the late 1970s, Okosun began to release a string of reggae infused Afro-pop music.[9] His 1977 song "Fire in Soweto" became a major international hit[8] and his first gold album.[4] He was featured on the anti-apartheid album Sun City, and his song "Highlife" was on the soundtrack of the 1986 film Something Wild.[3] He released another LP album, Power to the People, followed with a tour in some Nigerian cities.[10]

He released his first American album in 1984 under Shanachie Records.[11] His next American record, Which Way Nigeria, was released in 1985 under the EMI label in Nigeria and licensed to Jive Records for international promotions.[12]

His mainstream success started to fade in the late 1980s, but he continued his career as a gospel musician under the name Evangelist Sonny Okosun.[8]

By 1993, Okosun had started moving towards gospel music, he released the gospel album Songs of Praise, followed by another gospel piece tagged Revival. In 1998, he started the House of Prayer Ministry, a Christian church located at Ogba area in Ikeja, Lagos state.[13]