"My name is Charles Okosun and I have been in the entertainment business for close to 40 years now. I am a brother to evangelist Sunny Okosun, I managed him all through his career - locally and internationally, and from his management I was lucky to meet with so many international and local artistes. There’s a lot I have done in the music scene but it is not good to blow your horns, those who know will know.
What I do here is just a part time business. I have a radio programme every Tuesday on 104.7, the title is Which Way Nigeria, where we interview people and talk about Nigeria.
Apart from entertainment, I am a property agent, but with entertainment, I was able to sit with people like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, who was in my house for one month, worked with Fela, Sunny Ade, Jimmy Cliff and a host of others, including heads of states like Sergeant Doe and Gadaffi.
I was the first manager to successfully tour west Africa and Liberia where I first met President Doe with only a west African passport. Also pulled off fundraising shows and concerts both here and abroad for several heads of state like Gowon and Ojukwu, who opened this place for us.
I toured America about 15 times, and when Peter Tosh visited Nigeria, he stayed with us and visited my village. Bob Marley’s wife too would always come here then. I no longer manage musicians as I am getting old, my last was Sunny."
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"A lot of things have changed about the entertainment industry. Unlike what we have now, music was on a serious level in my days. I call this present generation of musicians miracle workers because, then we had professionals. You can not just walk into a recording studio and decide you want to sing. If a recording company gives you a recording date because they like your music, you have to rehearse for 2 to 3 months, because then it was analog not digital where you can afford to make mistakes and corrections. Again, it was just 4 tracks and if you do not play well, the producer will have issues with you.
Nowadays, so many CDs are in the market that people don’t buy because it’s just too digital. It’s not like the musicians are not good but when you talk of professionals, a musician must learn from somebody, and know how to play instruments, if not, who will back you up?
Like in the case of organizing an all night concert, without 10, 20 bands, it can not work because most of the artistes we have now cannot play through the night. Those days, someone like Fela can play all night, Sunny Okosun too, likewise Sunny Ade but the big boys of now can't stand the night. Thank God for them, they are making the money but I hardly pay to watch a band now because there’s nothing to hear.
Look at what is happening in the country now. Those days, government no dey try am. When people like Fela and Sunny Okosun dey? Music had value, it was a weapon and they fought seriously.
Our women can now shoot videos in pants, without brassieres and the youths are enjoying it. Those days, women rarely shot music videos lest to talk of appearing nude.
Most of my clients here are elderly people, they are all going back to old music because new school music is like a written letter without purpose and conclusion. Back then, there was always a lesson to learn from an album but now what is the content of the music? But I know very soon, the old sounds are coming back."

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Day 28 of 30. #MySplufikStory