BREAKING: Highlife maestro Victor Olaiya is dead

Veteran Highlife musician, Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya, is lifeless, his label, Evergreen Music Firm, confirmed in an announcement on Wednesday. He was 89 years outdated.

“The whole music world want to announce the loss of life of a Legend of Highlife music, One of many final males standing, the final of the unique Dr Victor Abimbola Olaiya OON,” Bimbo Esho, Managing Director, Evergreen Music stated.

“We pray that the soul of the Doyen of highlife music discover repose together with his creator whereas wishing the household and whole music group the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.”

As a musician, Olaiya’s musical style straddled each highlife and afro beats.He additionally had in style hits comparable to ‘Ilu le Kosi owo L’ode’, ‘Omo Pupa o’, Child J’owo and so forth.

In response to his biography, Olaiya was born on 31 December 1930, in Calabar, Cross River State, the 20th baby of a household of 24.

At an early age he realized to play the Bombardon and the French Horn. After leaving faculty he moved to Lagos, the place he handed the college certificates examination in 1951 and was accepted by Howard College, US, to check civil engineering. Olaiya as an alternative pursued a profession as a musician, to the disapproval of his mother and father. He performed with the Sammy Akpabot Band, was chief and trumpeter for the Previous Lagos Metropolis Orchestra and joined the Bobby Benson Jam Session Orchestra.

In 1954 Olaiya fashioned his personal band, the Cool Cats, taking part in in style highlife music. His band was chosen to play on the state ball when Queen Elizabeth II of the UK visited Nigeria in 1956, and later to play on the state balls when Nigeria turned impartial in 1960 and when Nigeria turned a republic in 1963. On the latter event, Olaiya shared the stage with the American jazz musician Louis Armstrong. In the course of the Nigerian Civil Warfare of 1967–70, Olaiya was given the rank of a lieutenant colonel (honorary) within the Nigerian military and his band performed for the troops at varied areas. The Cool Cats later travelled to the Congo to carry out for United Nations troops.

Olaiya renamed his band to the All Stars Band after they performed the 1963 Worldwide Jazz Competition in Czechoslovakia.

Olaiya additionally ran a enterprise that imported and distributed musical devices and equipment all through West Africa, and established the Stadium Resort in Surulere.

In July 2013, Victor Olaiya launched a music video remix of Child Jowo(Child Mi Da)with 2face idibia and was obtained with a lot acclaim.

Olaiya married many wives. He had kids and grandchildren. Certainly one of his sons is Bayode Olaiya.