Ayinla Omowura: 30 Years After

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If record at our disposal is anything to go by, the works of the late Alhaji Waidi  Ayinla Omowura Anigilaje known worldwide as Eegunmogaji, are the best seller among  Nigeria’s evergreen music artistes both dead and alive.

P.M.Entertainment checks revealed that Omowura’s old records are selling closely  followed by Evangelist Ebenezer Obey and Pa Fatai Rolling Dollar respectively.

The Abeokuta, Ogun State-born musician’s career took root in the early 1950s, when  he started with a brand of music called ‘Olalomi’ which was popular and became the  anthem of the young people both in Nigeria and the West coast.

His musical career took a new dimension when he joined EMI Nigeria, now Ivory Music,  in 1970 and recorded a single titled Aja t’of’oju d’ejo in June of that year.

The tremendous success attained by the single was quickly followed by three other  extended play records titled E ma fowo s’oya si wa mo, Danfo o si’ere and E ma tori  owo pa’niyan in September 1970 and Anjonu Elere in July 1971 respectively. All of  them recorded huge success as they were reported to have sold over 50,000 copies  each on the day of release.

The Apala music legend left for Mecca and Medina to perform the pilgrimage in 1975,  thus becoming Alhaji Ayinla Omowura.

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He was overwhelmingly successful to the extent that he became an idol to the masses,  particularly public transport drivers, butchers and traders.

Acutely popular, any day Omowura was to to release his album was always like a  carnival at motor parks, beer palours and parties throughout the ten years he spent  on EMI record label, while all his 20 albums sold a minimum of  50,000 copies on the  day of release.

Two albums were recorded at the same time in 1980, but only one, Awa kii se olodi  won, was released before his tragic death that year, while the second, 25×40, was  posthumously released in 1981.

—Kayode Aponmade

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