Throwback pictures of a two-time Grammy Award winning Nigerian musician.

Sikiru Adepoju is a legendary talking drummer from Eruwa in Oyo State Nigeria. He is descended from a long line of drummers and his father began teaching him how to play the drums when he was six years old. He and his brothers played in the family band. He later became a member of Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey’s Inter-Reformers Band when he was a teenager and this was when he became famous in Nigeria.

He travelled to the United States in 1985 in order to play with afrobeat legend Orlando Julius and master drummer Babatunde Olatunji. Olatunji had been famous and very influential in the music scene in the United States since the early 1960s and he introduced Sikiru Adepoju to his friends, including Micky Hart.

Musician, musicologist and drummer for the Grateful Dead, Mickey Hart had an idea to make an album in which all the best drummers from around the world would feature.

The album featured Mickey Hart (United States), Zakir Hussain and T.H. “Vikku” Vinayakram (both from India), Babatunde Olatunji and Sikiru Adepoju (from Nigeria), Airto Moreira and his wife Flora Purim (from Brazil) and Giovanni Hidalgo and Frank Colon from Puerto Rico.
The album won the first ever Grammy Award in the “World Music Album” category at the 1992 Grammy Award ceremony. It also reached number 1 on the Billboard chart for Top World Music Albums.

Unfortunately Babatunde Olatunji died in 2003.

Sikiru Adepoju has collaborated with many musicians including Stevie Wonder, Babatunde Olatunji, Carlos Santana, Ebenezer Obey, Airto Moreira, Bimbo Abimbola, Mickey Hart, Orlando Julius, Muruga Booker and The String Cheese Incident.

Sikiru Adepoju continued to collaborate with Micky Hart on many projects after the death of Babatunde Olatunji. One of those projects was the Global Drum Project which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album. It also reached number six on the Billboard chart for top world music albums. The album featured Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo.


Micky Hart and Sikiru Adepoju holding their Grammy Award trophies at the press room of the 51st Grammy Award ceremony at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on February 8th, 2009.

Here’s a track from the Global Drum Project album called Baba. The lead vocals were by Sikiru Adepoju.

Check out the rhythms on this track.

Global Drum Project (Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo) – Baba (2008)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECECeKqbZTo

ok

Wow...the beat up there is so rhythmic!! This is a Nigerian creation??

How come I have never heard of Sikiru up till this moment?? And to think he is a two time Grammy Award winner! Ahn ahn, is it that the Nigerian press only celebrate rubbish music or what??

Sikiru Adepoju and Babatunde Olatunji also featured on 2Pac Shakur's posthumous album "The Rose That Grew From Concrete". The album is made up of various stars reading 2Pac's poems.

Babatunde Olatunji recited the poem on this track, while he and Sikiru Adepoju played the drums.

2Pac ft Babatunde Olatunji and Sikiru Adepoju - Wake Me When I'm Free (2000).



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73azwBzEAaM

Lovely info..

Wawu!!!

Nice one, the track from the 2Pac posthumous album is cool, quality music.

wow.... insightful

Good Yoruba are making us proud

Where is my uncle Olalekan Babalola (percussiomist ) 2 time Grammy award winner

His brother Sunday Babalola and Nephew are doing us proud in US

Sons of Ileogbo in Osun state

Impressive.!!

I love this kind of sounds soothe the soul

make i fry bean now

Wow!!! This is worth commending. Bravo Mr Sikiru.

LIST OF NIGERIANS WHO HAVE WON THE GRAMMYS


Lekan Babalola: Won 2 Grammys. 2006 and 2009)

Seal [Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel) Won 4 Grammy's)

Sade Ade[Helen Folashade Adu]: 1 Grammy's

Chamillionaire [ Hakeem Seriki] 1 Grammy's

Sikiru Adepoju; 2 Grammy's: 1991, 2008.
 
Kevin Olusola: 3 Grammy's in 2015, 2016, 2017.


All the 13 Grammys won by Nigerians were won by Yorubas.

Yorubas Alone = 13 Grammys
Others = Nothing to show.

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Sikiru Adepoju

#Afonja!

Ok

Interesting, never heard of them before

This space would be used to discipline ipod piglets who talk nonsense on this thread.

Beautiful piece... Nice research.. This is what we call Nigeria to the world...

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Omo Yoruba la wa

Good one!

West side is the best side!

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Great One from Omo Oduduwa, Omoluabi!

Yoruba are great men and women without chest beating or noise making

Mad ass rhythm!

This is amazing!!! Wow! Why am I just discovering this?

Lemme go'an do more research on him...

Youruba lawa. We no dey use mouth. Name any flatron dead or alive that has won this before. Na only to beat chest up and and down like alafiye.