How I created Bongo music – Sambola Mama exponent, Dan Orji

For more than five decades, he sat astride the music industry like a colossus.  A legendary musician from the eastern part of the country, Dan Orji  is synonymous with highlife music.  He founded highlife band, the Peacocks International  led by Raphael Amarabem who recently passed on.


Believe it or not, the group’s first work “Sambola mama” which was released as a single sold over 150,000 copies in Ghana and twice that figure in Nigeria in the early 70s.
The  band’s subsequent albums  since their release in the 70s and 80s have continued to rule the airwaves  several years  after. Surprisingly  inspite of their fame and conquest in the music industry only very few of their millions of fans in Nigeria and Ghana can really tell the people behind the Peacocks band.
Unlike the provibial saying that a prophet has no honour in his home, the united musicians’ union in Imo State have concluded plans to roll out the drums to celebrate Dan Oji for his contibution to the development of the Igbo music industry.
To identify with his achievements, Showtime Celebrity  last weekend was the guest of the titled Igbo highlife maestro in his  country home  in Orji, Owerri, where he relived memories of how he began his journey into the world of music, the story behind the formation of the old Peacocks International Guitar Band as well as the origin of the bongo music amongst other issues. He also paid tribute to the former leader of the Peacocks, Raph Amaraebem who recently passed on.
This is his story…
At 65 years, the journey so far
In fact, I wrote my autobiography titled “ The Journey So far” during my sixtieth birthday anniversary. I wonder if you read that book. Anyway, the Igbo Musicians forum are  celebrating me at 65 years today,December 11, at the Concord Hotel. I will also  used the occasion to mark my 53 years on stage. The journey have been rough and at the same time smooth.
From childhood, I had developed strong passion for music. In 1957, while I was twelve years old, I composed my first song, which attracted the then, Orji Raccas Orchestra led by Mr. Ekejiuba Egbulonu Njoku of blessed memory.  Mr. Egbulonu Njoku was a good organiser and admirer of excellence who discovered my talent in music and immediately enrolled me into his band.
My parents initially frowned at my inclination to music, because they had dream of higher heights for their children. Yet I could not suppress the urge to become  a musician after  the death of my father, Mazi Orji Chima. Then, my mother and my siblings believed that music would ruin my life. But  with the passage of time, I became a popular star in the whole of Owerri district. By 1960, I was already leading other groups in competitions in Owerri. My popularity increased as people continued to invite me regularly to perform at functions.
At that time, I founded a group called “Riddle Orchestra”, and my music became more modern like those of our Ghanaian counterparts .
But before I founded the “Riddles” while performing during a wake-keep at my maternal home in Owerri, my elder brother, Mazi  E.A.C Orji was thrilled by my melodious songs and the way I rendered them. He became convinced that I had a talent in music. Later he engaged my group, the then, “Reccas” to perform at the wake-keep of his late brother-in-law at Amaigbo. It was at that wake-keep that I composed and rendered “Sambola Mama”.
Several years after,  the song  became  the hit track in  my maiden album “ Smash hits” recorded in 1972, which sold over 150,000 copies in Ghana alone.Within that period, the civil war broke out and after it ended, I organised a bongo group and christened it The Boy Friends which metamorphosed into the Peacocks International Guitar Band.  I met Raphael Amarabem who recently passed on, in Owalla, Uratta near Owerri, at a naming ceremony. He performed excellently  at that ceremony  that I was moved. I congratulated him  on  his performance . Thereafter Raph and I agreed to work together as musicians.
At the end of the ceremony, we returned together to my homestead, Orji to start off the joint musical journey that gave  the birth to the Peacocks International Band. For fear of losing Raph, I decided to make him the Band leader. That’s how my journey into the world of music started.
However, at a point, I left the Peacocks Band and formed  another band called, “Skylarks Universal Band of Nigeria”.  Given the situation at that time, one of my relations, Prince  Lemmy Akakem came to my rescue, by supporting me financially to run the new band.
Later, owing to financial constraint, I couldn’t sustain the  Skylarks band, hence I joined  Lemmy Construction company. And that was the period  I got married to my first wife,Eva Mary. I worked in that company as the Public Relations Manager. I was transferred to another section as a purchasing officer. It was while working in this company that I learnt construction business. Because of my interest in learning, I became a builder. But after sojourning in that company for eight years, I left to open my own construction outfit. But before I did that, I opened a restaurant to sustain my family.
Since life is not a bed of roses, I faced a lot of hard  times. At a time, I had no musical equipment to perform with. So I resorted to my old Abiriwa system(bongo music). I improved the bongo music, popularise it and made acceptable to the generality of Owerri people and their neigbours.
Today, many of our musicians are now making their way with my old compositions and old tunes. I thank God for them, for at least climbing on my back as their ladder of hope. Some people saw these acts by Owerri musicians as acts of plagiarism which were actionable, but I decided not to bother
Formation of Peacocks International Band and the emergence of what we now know as Bongo music in the South-East part of the country!
Yes, I agree with you. But before now, what we used to have in Owerri was Abiriwa music. At that time, we performed Abiriwa with Samba and Agidigi as well as gong. It was after I formed the Riddles that I introduced “Conga” and Bongo’ and called it Bongo music.
That’s how the bongo music came about in the south-east. Until now that I have re-organised the Peacocks after other members of the band realised that I was not the person who was causing trouble among the group, but our leader Mr. Raph. They decided to com together again to revive the band.
Marriage
I have two wives; Evamary and Adaku. Evamary had three children while Ada had five children for me.  I have been making frantic efforts to ensure that I give my children the best of education.
During my time!
It was a very memorable period. Then, in Owerri, there was no functional band until I formed the Peacocks  International  Band on September 15, 1970. It was when I formed that band that  likes of Ederi Chukwueke, Celestine Ukwu, Ali Chukwuma, Joe Nez,  Goddy Ezike, Show Promoter, Area Scatter, Show Promoter, Oriental Brothers International  and many others started forming their own individual bands.
At inception, we stayed in Aba for three years before we later moved to Port-Harcourt, where we played in hotels and social functions.
Then, there was lots of commitment, originality and less competition compared to what we have today. Some of our present day musicians are trying ,while 90 per cent of them are copy cats. They don’t want to do any serious work. Those days, we used to sit down and write our own songs by ourselves.
But today, I don’t see that happening among our emerging musicians.  For the new generation of musicians who have formed the habit of copying other people’s work, when they don’t see anything to copy again, they will realise how much they are musicians in the real sense of the word.  During our time, I was the composer, the arranger and the vocalist.
But despite these shortcomings, some of our young musicians today are driving posh cars and own houses  here and there.  During our time, the business was not lucrative.  We suffered a lot, and nobody came to our rescue.
Working with the recording labels at that time
We had only three recording labels then; EMI, Afrodisia  and Polygram. These companies treated us well though we were not paid handsomely. But the money was enough to take care of our needs at that time.
Legacy I want to leave behind
Many people believe I have done marvelously well in my chosen career. I don’t believe I have done very well. But since it is the verdict of the people, I can’t fault it.  All I know is that I worked very hard to achieve what I have achieved today in the music industry.
After 53 years  on stage
As far as I’m concerned, nobody would blow your trumpet for you except you blow it by yourself. It’s good for you to blow your own trumpet so that people will appreciate you better.  The government on their own have not done enough to recognise our contributions towards the development of the entertainment industry in the south-east.
If we are like our counterparts in the south-west, we would have been celebrated more than we are presently celebrated. I have served this part of the world very well, dedicating 53 years of my life entertaining people, yet I’m not appreciated much as I ought to be, until now that the Igbo Musicians forum wants to celebrate me.
I’m supposed to retire from playing music this year, but they say musicians don’t retire. I can’t continue to play music, until I die. By the grace of God, I’m fulfilled in respect of what I have achieved while on stage. I don’t care whether government recognises me or not.
My immediate concern is to derive fulfillment from what I’m doing today. I have eight children in all, three of them have graduated from the university while others are just entering the university. I thank God for my life.
My regrets
You know, in this family we respect our elders very much. The only regret I think I have in life was the decision to make Raphael Amaraebe, the leader of the Peacocks band. I didn’t want to lose him in the first place because he was an asset to us. And that was the mistake I made.
Raph recently passed on
Yes, we have visited his family to condole them.
The man, Raphael Amaraebe
Raph tried as a highlife musician. He came back from Ghana where he was playing with one band with Alika. I met him at a naming ceremony, and later we agreed to work together. We have lost a great guitarist. But I  like said, the way you make your bed is how you are going to lie on it.
Raph chose the path  he followed in life. He was a very kind man, but he was not good with money. That he was lost his sight was not his own fault. We were not better off than  him, but I think we have lost a genius.  With the death of Raph, it’s a minus to the guitar profession in Nigeria and Africa at large.  From my own personal judgement, Raph was the most proficient guitarist in the whole of West African sub-region  I think, he will be buried on the 28th of January, 2011.
Re-mixing my songs by young musicians
I don’t get anything from them. Sonny Bobo thought I was going to sue him, when he copied my songs. But I didn’t, because I’m not the troublesome type .
People advised him to come and see me, and when he finally paid me a visit, I told him to find something for the old man. But he never did. Till today, he has not given me a kobo. As for other re-mixing my songs, when our recording label, EMI and Polygram left the shores of the country, they sold the right of my music to one company called, Ivory Records. It is this company that has been doing anything they liked with my music without paying any royalty.
My albums
I have well over 20 albums to my credit. I will be presenting my complete work comprising all my albums on the 11th of December.  I know that ‘Smash hits” sold very well within and outside the country. Also Itikpasa” was a hit. In fact, all my albums were timeless   and sold very well.
I have come a long way as a musician and my advice to the emerging musicians is that they should strive to be original in their music.  There is need for them to work very hard to attain the height that we have attained in the industry.
Source:http://vanguardngr.com/entertainment/