₦airaland Forum

naptu2:
Japhet N'Doram and Tabitha Chawinga.

Happy 86th posthumous birthday Dad ❤️ The Great Art Alade! First of his name and kind!! Love always sir 🫡


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsfSHTMfppQ?si=NouSafuQ_saVJwek

Happy 86th posthumous birthday Dad ❤️ The Great Art Alade! First of his name and kind!! Love always sir 🫡 pic.twitter.com/KOh25khxvH

— Darey Art Alade (@dareynow) December 14, 2023

NightCyrax:
Oh, right! Thank you so much! The Jowo part of it rang a bell to me. I knew I had had something Jowo by Victor Olaiya before. Thanks bro.

naptu2:
This song has been covered by uncountable musicians including Art Alade (as Sisi Jowo) in the 1980s, Lieutenant Shotgun in the 1990s, OGD All Stars (Richard Mofe-Damijo and other Nollywood stars) in 2008 and in 2013 the originator, Dr Victor Olaiya, collaborated with 2Face Idibia to produce another version.

I have posted the original many times on Nairaland, but it is no longer on YouTube. Luckily, Dr Victor Olaiya remade a lot of his classic songs in 2016 and that version is still on YouTube. This is Victor Olaiya's 2016 cover of his classic 1960s song.


Victor Olaiya - Baby Jowo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_lNZbzswW4

KingAzubuike:
Which part of nigeria did you grow where people used to play rugby on Sunday mornings?. It was mainly football. Rugby ke

NightCyrax:
Amazing!

I used to think Sir Victor Olaiya is the composer of Sisi Jowo, I didn't know it was Art Alade's. Beautiful music there... may his soul continue to rest in peace.

naptu2:
Live performances.

The NTA showed a lot of variety shows in the 1970s and 1980s and many highlife artistes performed on these shows. Some of these shows were hosted by the highlife artistes, while others, like Bandstand, featured a different artiste every week. I am now going to post videos of these artistes performing on those shows.

naptu2:
The Bala Miller Show (8pm NTA Network)

The Art Alade Show (Sunday mornings, NTA Channel 10).

The YomYem Show (Sunday mornings, NTA Channel 10).


I've searched all over YouTube, but there isn't a single video of Art Alade. I've posted lots of videos of the Bala Miller Show, so today I'll post a YomYem video (well, it's actually just the audio).

This isn't a video of his show. It's actually one of his songs that he sang long before he started his show.

YomYem - Power To The People.

naptu2:
The Bala Miller Show (8pm, I can't remember what day).

The Art Alade Show (9 or 10am on Sundays)

The Yom-Yem Show (9 or 10am on Sundays)

The Bobby Benson Show (Saturday afternoons)

Princess Afi Ukwua Show (8pm, I can't remember what day)

The Stephen Osita Osadebe Show (can't remember what day or time)

naptu2:
I wrote the list above from memory, but as you can see from the album sleeve below, her name is actually Afi Usuah.

Bala Miller: Ladies and gentlemen, you are welcome to the programme.

I promised you that on this programme we’ll try to give you nothing but the best, you deserve it, and today I’ve got a special guest for this programme. A chap who has made name and impact in the music industry, in entertainment. For many many years his name and show was a household word. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the illustrious son of Nigerian music, the one and only Art Alade.

You are welcome to the programme.

Art Alade: After all that beautiful opening, you know, you give me a big head, you know.

Bala Miller: No, this is just a matter of facts. You cannot hide the facts.

Art Alade: Thank you.

Bala Miller: You attended the CMS Grammar School. . .

Art Alade: Where you were too. You were my senior at school.

Bala Miller: I was there. . .

And at the age of about ten you were playing the piano for the school.

Art Alade: Yes

Bala Miller: Now, we left about five years before you, tell me what you’ve been doing in the music scene until you came back.

Art Alade: Bala, I went to England in ’56, you know. I didn’t do my school cert, my father thought I was. . .I was a dullard you see , so he thought I might be saved if I was sent abroad, so I went abroad. And I eventually did music.

When I qualified I spent two years at sea learning the trade, playing in a band.

Unfortunately, we don’t have these things here where you go on a cruise. In the Western World they do know how to relax, you know and music, as you know, plays a very important part in relaxation. Very important part. This is why artistes are well paid abroad.

Then I spent quite a few years in the different clubs in London and on the continent trying to gain experience.

I came home in the early ‘60s, I joined television in ’64. I joined the then Nigerian Television Service January ’64 and I stayed for 16 years. Until I thought that I was getting too old for it.

Bala Miller: No Art. Now, I knew you sang in the church, has that got any influence on you?

Art Alade: Well there’s no doubt. We were very lucky in the early days, you know. I always tell people that I was very lucky, in the sense that I went, when I was very young, to the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos and I was very opportuned to have gone through the hands of Dr TK Philips, undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s finest musicians. He taught us the correct way.

I remember when we were very young, when we sang in the choir, if you didn’t open your mouth to sing, he had a long stick, egba, to fi na eyan, you use it here in Kaduna, don’t you? He used to put that in our mouth to make sure you did an O, to sing out, so you can hear the words.

But now the boys they oinoinoin, that’s what they do now, but in those days we were really taught how to sing and I’m really grateful for that.

Bala Miller: I have noticed that in this country many, or some universities are offering degrees in music and it doesn’t appear that music is being taught in the elementary schools and secondary schools as was done in our days. Do you think that is proper?

Art Alade: It’s rather unfortunate, Bala. I have always said this over the years that it is a pity that it was discarded with. In the days gone by, you were taught music, it was part of the curriculum, you know, but I don’t know what’s gone wrong. The universities are doing it, but, let’s face it, not all of us can go to university. Those who are not made of that stuff should be able to learn, at least when they are at school, about music and I sincerely pray that it will be reinstated. I sincerely hope so.

Bala Miller: Let’s hope so.

Well, to prove to people what it is all about, I’d like you to join the band in doing one or two numbers, so that they’ll see what it is all about.

Art Alade: The Pirameeds? Your band?

Bala Miller: My band.

Art Alade: I’ll tell you one thing. I had the privilege of doing one or two things with you when Manu Dibango came to Nigeria not too long ago and I must say this to you. . and I want people to know that (he points at the camera) Aha, you are watching! This man is really a genius.

Bala, you’ve got it, your boys have got it, it’ll be my pleasure.

Bala Miller: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, please join us as we go to the stage with Art Alade.

Modupe Afolabi Jemi-Alade (December 14, 1937 - June 29, 1993) popularly known as Art Alade was a Nigerian television personality and producer who was the host of The Bar Beach Show a weekly variety show on NBC-TV that aired during the 1970s. He retired from NTA in 1979 as acting Director of Programmes.

After he left NTA, he embarked on a career in music and established a club, Art's Place, where he performed regularly.

Life

Alade was born on December 14, 1937 to the family of Babatunde and Abiodun Jemi-Alade, his father Babatunde Jemi Alade who was the first Yagba man to become a Principal Custom's officer in Lagos in the early 1929s and his mother taught music at a girl's only school, she was a granddaughter of Mohammed Shitta Bey. He was married to Olapeju Olufunmilayo Cole and they had 5 children.

Alade graduated from C.M.S. Grammar School, Lagos and then travelled abroad to attend Devon Technical College and London School of Television Production in the U.K.. Alade began his career as a musician on a cruise line, the Greek Line. By 1964, on his return from U.K., he joined the staff of Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation now known as NTA.

He compered the hugely popular 'Bar Beach Show' and hosted the 'Art Alade Show'- the first Variety Show on Network TV in Africa. In 1979 he established 'Arts Place' an entertainment centre comprising a night club, restaurant and art gallery.

Alade was appointed acting director of Programmes in 1978 and retired a year later.

He is the father of Nigerian multi-platinum selling and award-winning musician, singer-songwriter, and Idol series judge popularly called Darey.

He died on 29 June 1993 at the age of 55

naptu2:
Shepherds and Keep Back

I watched an interview that Keefe D gave and it reminded me of something that I have written briefly about. It's the shepherds and keep back.

Shepherds

I didn't notice the shepherds until the late 1980s, but they have almost always existed. I remember that President Shagari had motorcycle escorts, but that's kind of different. I guess the reason I didn't notice the shepherds was that almost all the vehicles in the presidential motorcade during the early part of President Babangida's era were Peugeot 504s.

I later noticed that there were usually 4 Peugeot 504 vehicles that surrounded the state car.

This became much clearer around 1990.

Nigeria had an agreement with Steyr in the late 1970s and 1980s. Steyr established a plant in Bauchi where they assembled military vehicles for the Nigerian Armed Forces and Police and tractors and other agricultural vehicles for farmers. They provided a lot of Pinzgauers to the military and police and a lot of Puch G-Wagens to the Presidency.

Steyr Magna Puch of Austria is the maker of the G-Wagen. They make G-Wagen for Mercedes Benz (Daimler Benz had a lot of shares in Steyr). All G-Wagens are now branded as Mercedes Benz vehicles, but back in the 1980s and early 1990s there were G-Wagens that were branded as Puch. The Presidency got a lot of Puch G-Wagens during the Shagari era.

The Puch G-Wagens were mainly kept at CVU after Shagari was removed from office. Then, c1990, the Babangida administration brought them out and restored them to the presidential motorcade. The Puch G-Wagens were used as shepherds.

You would see 4 Puch G-Wagens surrounding the presidential limousine (a Peugeot 505 stretch limousine or a W100 Mercedes Benz 600).

By 1991 the Land Rover Discovery had become the official shepherd. These duties were mainly performed by either Land Rover Discovery or Land Cruiser Prado SUVs in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Things changed in the Yar'Adua era. President Yar'Adua used Mercedes Benz W221 S Class cars as his official vehicles, so the SSS used President Obasanjo's old W140 S Class cars as shepherds. I guess they wanted something faster than an SUV and something that would make the presidential car blend in.

Keep Back

They don't use Shepherds in the UK, instead they use another interesting feature that is also used here.

The last vehicle in the UK Prime Minister’s motorcade is usually a police Range Rover and the Metropolitan Police Range Rover has an LED display at its back window and the display usually has the words, “Keep back” or “Keep clear” written on it. This means that you are not allowed to overtake the motorcade. It’s the same for the King’s motorcade and the motorcades of visiting leaders.

Let’s come back to Nigeria. Have you ever tried overtaking the CBN convoy? You probably wouldn’t even try it.

That reminds me of an old Nairaland thread from around 2008 or 2009. A Nairalander created a thread to complain that he was driving down the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when he came upon the motorcade of the deputy governor of Ogun State. He felt that the motorcade was going to slowly, so he tried to overtake it, but policemen in the motorcade warned him not to. He wanted to insist, but he got a stern warning from the policemen.

He came to complain on Nairaland that there was no reason for the policemen to prevent him from overtaking the motorcade. Someone told him that you could not overtake Barack Obama’s motorcade in the US (where the person lived) but the first guy asked him how he could compare the Ogun State deputy governor to Barack Obama.

Keefe D
There was a little war of words between Reggie Wright Jnr, a former police officer and head of security at Death Row Records and Gene Deal, who was Sean Puffy Combs’bodyguard. Gene Deal seemed to criticise Reggie when he asked how Reggie allowed Tupac to get killed. Gene Deal criticised the security arrangement at the time that Tupac was shot and he seemed to agree with the rumour mongers that say that Reggie must have had something to do with Tupac’s death.

In response Reggie asked how the Notorious BIG was killed. It was the exact same situation, a drive by shooting. Reggie asked, so where was Gene Deal when Biggie was killed?

They asked Keefe D if Biggie would have been killed if he was providing security at the time. As I told you, Keefe D was a plug. If you needed anything in the hood, he would provide it. He originally met Puffy when Puffy needed a certain type of vehicle for a music video. Keefe D provided the vehicle. Keefe D also sometimes provided security for Puffy and his crew when they came to Los Angeles. He was a senior member of the South Side Compton Crips and gang members affiliated to Keefe D often provided security for Puffy.

Keefe had previously said that he met Puffy on the day that Biggie was killed. He said that Puffy had sent him invitations to the party, but that night, when he and his crew met Puffy, Puffy told them that the Feds had been following him and his crew and he didn’t want Keefe D to catch any heat (that is, he didn’t want the feds that were following him to become interested in Keefe D). Keefe D said that he had asked Puffy about the money for killing Tupac, but Puffy said not now, because the feds were monitoring them. Puffy gave them bottles of Champagne and they went across the street to drink.

Keefe said that Biggie would not have been killed if he was providing security because they would have flooded the lanes.

Do you understand what he meant?

Let’s go back to the beginning of this post. That’s exactly what the shepherds do. They occupy all the lanes beside the presidential limousine, so that no vehicle can get alongside the limousine and open fire on it. They shield the limousine.

Similarly, the reason for the message on the Metropolitan Police Range Rover and the reason you can’t overtake a CBN convoy is to prevent you from being able to get alongside the vehicle they are guarding and open fire on it.

Picture 1-4 below: Land Rover Discovery SUVs protecting the W124 Mercedes Benz 6 door stretch limousine carrying General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Colonel Mohammed Buba Marwa.

Picture 5: Metropolitan Police Range Rover guarding Prime Minister Liz Truss’ official vehicle. You can see the “Keep back” sign.

Deltamani:
So I came across this 😂😂😂

naptu2:
4:30am on Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge in 2013 and 2014. This usually comes on when I hit the Ikoyi end on my second lap.


DJ Sbu feat. Zahara - Lengoma (2011)

naptu2:
Lengoma

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEV_4xBrMJU