Music VIPs

Walton Arungwa on the guitar, Joel Madubuike on the drums, Benji on the keyboards, Fusion Okoro on the vocals, Murphy Williams on the vocals (You can cry when Murphy is singing), Henry Asu Tandu on the bass. You cannot leave out Barry Starrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! 'The Elemarangwa of Ekpete Iri' This is the title that I gave to Barry. I also call him 'The Elemarangwa of Ohu Ekpete'. I will talk about these individuals separately in another writing. I just want to remember them and mention them here. Charlie Eze on the drums, Jimmy Henshaw on the bass (Jimmy Castor Bunch!), Beni Tudumey on the keyboard, Ken Okogbue on the guitar (remember tauwnn, tauwnn, tauwnn that sounds with the fourth, third and second notes in that sequence or 'fah', 'mi', 'ray'. It became (for me) Ken's signature. When I asked him he told me how he traveled to Port Harcourt to see Fela Dey to acquire that. I'll still talk about Fela Dey who called me 'Headmaster'. He and Etim of Polygram studies in Ikeja called headmaster either to tickle me or to make me feel bad, though they were also my friends. Moving on with the list: Simeon Anaba on the congas, Arthur Freds on the keyboards. Tony Mansound on the trumpet, Uncle Sammy on the keyboard. Names of the other members of Genesis have escaped my mind. When I was teaching at Holy Ghost across Overrail, the Genesis funk band rehearsed in that general area. They wanted me to join their band. Uncle Sammy was a strong keyboardist, and was already grooming his younger brother Anil. I did not join the Genesis. Much later, Anil (I heard) took my place at Rock of Ages after we changed our name from Sweet Unit and I left to go to pursue two things: (1) higher education and (2) independent music sessionist job. There are so many names to mention. I'll go a little further. Mohammed on the vocals with Black Children. Essien Akpabio on the vocals with the Action Funk Ensemble. Harry on the second vocals with Foundars 15, Iyke Peters on the vocals of the Foundars 15, Ify Akpati (blessed memory) on the drums with Foundars 15, Sunny Enang on the organ with Foundars 15. Tex Soul on the guitar with the Vibrations (a band that I played briefly after Goddie Odik left). I loved the song that Tex Soul wrote "You'll Make It Someday". Iyke on the base for Vibrations. Shanker on the drums. Bazy Cole Akalonu on the drums for Sweet Breeze (I always traveled to play keyboards for them whenever Nestor Phillips was away on one of his many overseas trips); Dallas King Anyanwu on the lead vocals (Choirmaster), Jackie Moore on the guitar and also serving as band leader. He was the one who arranged to come and pick me up at my house on Ulasi Road whenever they needed me on their tour. Vin Iyke on the bass. Jerry Boifraind on the mike, though he had a box guitar that he played from time to time. He was simply a powerful singer "Mama Was A Roving Gambler" album was titled "Leave That School Girl". I played keyboards and all polyphonic emsemble on that album. I was the first musician in Aba to use Mini-Korg in a recording. All the polyphonic work that I did on that album stood out when the album was released. Jerry Boifraind rose from the height of his former "Shooting Star" to a new height. Go and check out his "Momy Owe Me" and see what he is doing today. You will see that he has been on this journey for a long time. Goddy Oku's studio was no third home after Decca, then followed by Rogers Studio in Umuokpu, Awka. I also used Phonodisk, Polygram and other studios but not as much. I'll mention other names some other time, as well as find another time to talk about the individual VIPs.