Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe
Background information
Birth nameStephen Osita Osadebe
Also known asOsadebe, The Doctor of Hypertension
Born(1936-03-17)17 March 1936
Atani, Colony of Nigeria
OriginAtani, Nigeria
Died11 May 2007(2007-05-11) (aged 71)
St. Mary's Hospital Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
GenresIgbo Highlife
Occupation(s)singer, songwriter, record producer
Years active1958–2007
LabelsPolygram Records Nigeria
WebsiteChief Osita at Calabash music

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe // ⓘ(March 17, 1936[1] – May 11, 2007),[2] often referred to as just Osita Osadebe, was a Nigerian highlife musician from Atani. During his career spanning over four decades, he became one of the best known musicians of Igbo highlife. His best-known hit was the 1984 single "Osondi Owendi", which established him as a leader in the highlife genre and was one of Nigeria's most popular records ever.[3]

Biography

Osadebe was born in March 17, 1936, in the Igbo town of Atani in Southeastern Nigeria. He came from a line of singers and dancers in Igboland. His genre, Highlife, encompassed Igbo and traditional musical elements. Along with this, calypso, Samba, bolero, rumba, Jazz and waltz were also present in Osadebe's musical style. It was in his high school years in Onitsha, a major commercial city near Atani, that Osadebe grew interested in music.[2]

Osadebe started his career singing at nightclubs in Lagos in the southwestern region of Nigeria. He had been a part of The Empire Rhythm Orchestra, led by E. C. Arinze in which he had learned much of his music skills.[4] A prolific composer, Osadebe released his first album in 1958, and went on to write over 500 songs; half of which were released commercially.[2] After stints with the Stephen Amache Band and the Central Dance Band in around 1964,[4] Osadebe struck out as a bandleader with his group the Sound Makers.[5]

As he became better established, Osadebe's style matured to include social commentary, similar to, but not as confrontational as Fela Kuti. Personal trials and tribulations were usually the main topics of his commentaries. He sang in English, pidgin English and Igbo.[6] Osadebe often extended his tracks for his audience's enjoyment, allowing room for 'people on the dance floor' to indulge in the songs.[2] He earned the nickname "the Doctor of Hypertension" in reference to "the healing powers of his music".[6]

Osadebe succeeded in breaking away from the conventional big band format established by the pioneers of the music, a format that favored melodic progressions that were in the common meter, church hymnal tradition. He succeeded in completely transforming highlife into the call-and-response pattern of African music.[4]

Following the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s, the massive exodus of the eastern peoples of Nigeria (especially the Igbo) out of western Nigeria had caused the death of the Highlife's prominence in the then capital, Lagos. During the war and after the war Osadebe maintained his scheduled live performances. Jùjú music and later Afrobeat took precedence in Lagos, and in the 1970s James Brown and various other music forms became popular in the city. In this same decade, Osadebe's career had reached its zenith.[2] After turning 50 in 1986, Osadebe started to give priority to fatherhood and gave more of his time to his son Obiora and his other children from his wives. One of Osita Osadebe's last albums is Kedu America.[2]

Osita Osadebe died in St. Mary's Hospital Waterbury, Connecticut on 11 May 2007 after suffering from severe respiratory difficulties.[3]

Discography

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2016)
Singles
Albums

See also

References

  1. ^ Kedu America (Liner notes). Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe. 1996. Retrieved May 3, 2021.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe Passes Away On May 11, 2007". Global Rhythm Magazine News. May 15, 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Nigeria's Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe dead". United Press International. May 19, 2007. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
  4. ^ a b c Idonije, Benson. "Obituary" (May 2007) Nigerian Guardian
  5. ^ "Biography of Stephen Osita Osadebe" Nigerian Biography
  6. ^ a b Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (19 May 2007). "Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, 71; a giant of African highlife music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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