milehigh06:
someone actually added fela
thats afro-beat
hell he created the beat
and pls no more flaviour nabania here,if you remixed a song from one of the greats,then no space for you
I like him as a musician and he is basically my fav right now but when talking of music and highlife in particular
Sir Victor Uwaifo
Chief Olver De-Cokuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Sir Warrior
Orlando Owoh
Bobby Benson
Chief Olisadebe
Victor olaiya
Bright Chimezie

Its quite a pity that artist of these days canbt sing to save their lives
how many of the artist we have now will you remember a line from their songs in 20yrs from now
all the old artist mentioned above i can at least remember 5 different lines from 5 different songs that just make me want to start downloading some of them

What of Flavour's "Alcohol"? "Ukwu" might be considered highlife as well. Don't forget that he is a mighty collaborator and that's what has helped establish him in the highlife genre in the first place.

Another honorable mention is Wizboyy. And thanks to those who have mentioned J. Martins. He shouldn't be left out either.

Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, most of the remix Flovour is shinning with today belongs to him, And he has never even mentioned before,msheww, May his great soul RIP.

Flavor N'abania a highlife musician??  King of highlife ??   . . . .  I wonder what those that included his name are smoking .

We'll be lucky if most young folk know "Ashawo" is a remake. I don't think most of them know by whom however. Without Flavour, today's generation would be forgetting Rex Lawson.

Flavour (MI's "Number One", "Ashawo"), Wizboyy ("Owu Sa Gi", "Infinity"), J. Martins (Bracket's "Ada Owerri") , MC Loph ("Mama" and "Osondi Owendi Remix", both with Flavour) have all helped make highlife relevant as of today. Ask any of these musicians, and they'll name former highlife greats, a lot of those mentioned in this thread, as their inspirations. If na lie, I dey give you stone dey kneel down. Make una conk me for head.

^ you well so?

My personal preference is the 'Evil Genius of Highlife', Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Olaiya

Victor Olaiya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victor Abimbola Olaiya, or 'Dr Victor Olaiya', is a Nigerian trumpeter who plays in the Highlife style. He was possibly the biggest star in Nigeria in the 1950s and early 1960s, but received little recognition outside of Nigeria. Alhaji Alade Odunewu of the Daily Times admiringly styled him "The Evil Genius of Highlife."[1]
Contents
[hide]

1 Life
2 Music
3 Discography
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Life

Olaiya was born on 31 December 1931, in Calabar, Cross River State, the 20th child of a family of 24. His parents, Alfred Omolona Olaiya and Bathsheba Owolabi Motajo came from Ijesha-Ishu in Ekiti State.[2] Contrary to popular belief, Olaiya came from a very rich family. His father's house called Olaiya is still standing today at Tinubu square in Lagos and still owned by the Olaiya family.[citation needed] At an early age he learned to play the Bombardon and the French Horn. After leaving school he moved to Lagos where he passed the school certificate examination in 1951 and was accepted by Howard University, USA to study Civil engineering. Instead he started a career as a musician, a move of which his parents disapproved. He played with the Sammy Akpabot band, the Old Lagos City Orchestra (a dance band) and the Bobby Benson Jam Session Orchestra, where he was leader and trumpeter of the second band.[2][3]

In 1954 he left Bobby Benson to form his own band, the Cool Cats, playing popular highlife music. His band was chosen to play at the state ball when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited Nigeria in 1956, and later to play at the state balls when Nigeria became independent in 1960 and when Nigeria became a republic in 1963. On that occasion, he shared the stage with the famous American jazz player Louis Armstrong. During the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970, Olaiya was given the rank of a lieutenant colonel (honorary) in the Nigerian Army when his band played for the troops at various locations. His band later traveled to the Congo to perform for United Nations troops. He led his band, renamed to the All Stars Band, to the 1963 International Jazz Festival in Prague, Czechoslovakia.[2]

In addition to his successful career as a musician, Olaiya ran a business that imported and distributed musical instruments and accessories throughout West Africa, and also established the Stadium Hotel in Surulere.[3]

In 1990, Olaiya received a fellowship of the Institute of Administrative Management of Nigeria. For a period, he was president of the Nigerian Union of Musicians.[2]
[edit] Music

Olaiya's music bridges between Ghanaian highlife and what would become Afrobeat. His musical style was influenced by James Brown, with horn parts harmonized in Brown's style, as opposed to the mostly unison lines of Afrobeat. The music includes the swinging percussion of Tony Allen, but not the syncopated style that Allen later pioneered.[4] His music is infectious, typifying highlife music, played with great energy. The unique style of some of his recordings is inimitable.[5]

He played with highlife artist E. T. Mensah of Ghana, and released a best-selling joint album with Mensah.[2] Both the drummer Tony Allen and vocalist Fela Kuti played with Olaiya and went on to achieve individual success.[4][6] Kola Ogunkoya played in the All Stars Band from 1986 to 1987 and went on to have a highly successful career with his own Afrobeat band.[7]
[edit] Discography

A partial list of albums:[8]
Date Group Album Format Label
Late 1950s/Early 1960s Victor Olaiya & his Cool Cats Odale Ore b/w Mofe Muyon 10" 78 Badejo's Sound Studios BBA 150
1960s? Various Artists Catchy Rhythms from Nigeria - Vol. 2 10" LP Philips West Africa [Lagos] P 13401
1961 Dr. Victor Olaiya & his All Stars Olaiya's Victories 10" LP Philips [Netherlands] 13403
Early 1960s Various Artists Catchy Rhythms From Nigeria - Vol. 3 (10" LP Philips West Africa [Lagos] 13404
1960s Victor Olaiya & his Cool Cats Afro-Rhythm Parade Vol. 2 7" EP Philips [Netherlands] 420001
1960s? Victor Olaiya & his All Stars Oruku Tiniditindi / Iye Jemila 7" 45 Philips [Lagos] 303 015
1960s Victor Olaiya & his All Stars Pambotoriboto b/w Moonlight Highlife 7" 45 Philips [Lagos] 382357
1960s Victor Olaiya & his All Stars Feso J'aiye / Asian Udo 7" 45 Philips [Lagos] 382 397
1960s Victor Olaiya & his All Stars Kosowo Lode b/w Ewelewekuewele 7" 45 Philips [Lagos] 382739
1960s Victor Olaiya & his All Stars Afro-Rhythm Parade Vol. 7 7" EP Philips [Lagos] 420014
Late 1960s? Various Artists West Africa's Big Sound 7" EP Philips [Lagos] 420023 PE
1982 Dr. Victor Olaiya In the Sixties LP Polydor [Lagos] POLP 066
1982 Dr. Victor Olaiya Highlife Reincaration LP Polydor [Lagos] POLP 073
1983 Dr. Victor Olaiya Ilu Le O (Country Hard 0!) LP Polydor [Lagos] POLP 096
1983 Various Artists African Music LP Vertigo [Netherlands] 814 480-1
1983 E.T. Mensah & Dr. Victor Olaiya Highlife Giants of Africa Vol. 1 LP Polydor [Lagos] POLP 102
1986 Dr. Victor Olaiya Papingo Davalaya LP Polydor [Lagos] POLP 156
2001? Dr. Victor Olaiya The Best of Dr. Victor Olaiya - 3 Decades of Highlife CD Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD003
2003? Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya Highlife in The 80's -
The Best of Dr. Victor Olaiya
Vol. 2 - Evil Genius of Highlife CD Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD007
2002? Various Artists High Life Kings Vol. 1 CD Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD 01
2002? Various Artists High Life Kings Vol. 2 CD Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD 02
2003? Various Artists The Kings of Highlife CD Wrasse Records [UK] WRASS 097
2005 Victor Olaiya & his International All Stars
/ St. Augustine Let Yourself Go/There Was a Time / Papa de Love 7"45 Soundway [UK] SNDW 7002
2009 Victor Olaiya's All Stars Soul International Victor Olaiya's All Stars Soul International CD Vampisoul [Spain] VAMPI 107)

Oriental Brothers and Oliver de coque all the way and i dont forget Aloy Anyanwu my kinsman, oh! ihe onwu mere anyiii

Flavour Nabania remix original highlife songs, today he is regarded as the king of highlife music, wonderful. The truth is IF NO BE PANADOL IT NO FIT BE LIKE PANADOL.

tjadeba:

Funny ,but thunder fire that your hand wey you use type that word

lol, this has got to be the best response to a tribal irritant, hahahaha

Some of the names wey i dey see here can't be highlife muscians na. . Fella ke? There is nothing highlife about Fela's music though I like Fela. .
Seriously, it has got to be Osita Osadebe. Mehn that man's music made me got A's back in school. Back then, I don't read without osadebe rolling on the wheels of steel o, the guy can serenade even a dead body to sleep . .

olaiya.

GAWD!!! I am shocked that many people know little or nothing about high life music.

According to wikipedia: Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920. It is very popular in Liberia and all of English-speaking West Africa, although little has been produced in other countries due to economic challenges brought on by war and instability. Highlife is characterized by jazzy horns and multiple guitars which lead the band.


Those nominating Flavour Nabania, J Martins, Wizboy etc should ask themselves, ARE THESE GUYS REALLY HIGHLIFE MUSICIANS?  The answer is quite simple - NO! Most of them are remix specialists who can neither play any musical instrument (excluding microphone) nor perform live on stage.

My best ten highlife musicians in Nigeria are as below, in no particular order:

(1)    Jim Rex Lawson
(2)    Celestine Ukwu
(3)    Osita Osadebe
(4)    Oriental Brothers Int'l Band (led by Dan Sach and Kabaka)  Many people erroneously attribute their songs
        to Dr. Sir Warrior who was just the band lead vocalist (he didn't compose any of those hits)
(5)    Peacocks Int'l Band (most popular song:  Eddie Kwansah)
(6)    Sir Victor Olaiya
(7)    Sir Victor Uwaifo
(    Orlando Owoh - Baba Keneri (I love his songs so much!)
(9)    Oliver De Coque
(10)   Dan Orji (Skylarks Int'l Band and founder of Peacocks Int'l Band)

Someone should compare above Highlife Superstars with the likes of FLAVOUR, JMARTINS etc.

^

You're right to some extent. But those guys who mentioned are mostly dead.

Their music(high life) was also on the verge of extinction until the likes of Flavour, J.Martins, etc brought it back to life. So we must also give them their own credit too.

:p :p :p

Rex Lawson Oriental Brothers

Mbatu you correct!

Metalgoong:

Flavor N'abania a highlife musician??  King of highlife ??       . . . .  I wonder what those that included his name are smoking .

I'm 100% sure U can't even id Hilife music just 2 save ur own lyf. Wat a pity Man.

Signor Zax:

I'm 100% sure U can't even id Hilife music just 2 save your own lyf. Wat a pity Man.

First, you really need to save your own life by learning how to read and construct a simple sentence. At least this would help you dunce in differentiating highlife music from other music genres. . . What an air brain!!!

tjadeba:

Funny ,but thunder fire that your hand wey you use type that word

Nna if i tell u say na thunder write am nkor? dont joke with mystified beings o, u go loose, If you talk too much you left arm will fall off by the 17th of November 2011 (if you doubt me, follow me dey play)

mbatuku1:
^

You're right to some extent. But those guys who mentioned are mostly dead.

Their music(high life) was also on the verge of extinction until the likes of Flavour, J.Martins, etc brought it back to life. So we must also give them their own credit too.

I'm glad someone shares my opinion. Thanks for your contribution.

Rex Lawson. There's NO competition

^^^^^^ Thanks bro, the problem here is alot of us have not had the opportunity to listen to most of them we name just the high life musician we know or have listen to.

Baba Ambrose campbell,and dont ask me y[cos ye knw thyself]

People seem not to understand generational shifts in music.Most kids born in the 2000s have not heard of Osadebe,Jim Lawson etc.Even if they do, the music will sound off tune to them.

Again Igbos seem to have adopted highlife as their music hence some people erroneously associate highlife with Igbo.Igbo music is the same with every other Southern Nigeria group.Mostly rythmic drums,flute and talking drums.

1. Osadebe
2. Oliver de coque.
3. Sir Warrior. Sir warrior while he was part of the oriental brothers was soul of the band. The composer as well as the lead vocalist. Though Dan Satch founded the band.

Respect to Late Chief Osita Osadebe, Oliver de Coque and other igbo highlife musicians, plz nobody should mention Fela here. HIGHLIFE IS DIFFERENT FROM AFROBEATS/JUJU. fela with him Square Pants, LOL.

emmy04:
Respect to Late Chief Osita Osadebe, Oliver de Coque and other igbo highlife musicians, plz nobody should mention Fela here. HIGHLIFE IS DIFFERENT FROM AFROBEATS/JUJU. fela with him Square Pants, LOL.

Lol.

Fela and the koola lobitos were a highlife band.

Cardinal Rex Lawson
Sir Victor Olaiya
Bobby Benson
Fela Kuti
Dan Satch and the Atomic 8
Chief Ita Henshaw
If u are into highlife and don't know the last two names please Google and download their songs.
Peace.

Its undisputably Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe. He was a maestro in his days. Checkout Jesus Bu Onye'ndu; Osondi Owendi; Peopls club; Onuigbo etc. Oliver de coque follows.

Remii:
Bobby Benson is the grandfather of all of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Benson

Mr Okei im ma ri e fey