Veteran highlife musician, Orlando Julius Ekemode has died. The singer died on Friday, April 15, on the age of 79.
Bimbo Esho of the Evergreen Music Company Limited confirmed the dying of the 79-year-old highlife singer.
In her eulogy, whereas saying Orlando Julius’ demise, Esho wrote;
“Bimbo Daddy has passed On…This was the message I chanced on waking up at precisely 3am to peruse my WhatsApp page.. It was a message sent in to me by Orlando Julius stunning and supportive spouse Lady Latoya.
Orlando Julius a local of Ijebu Ijesha succumbed to the chilly arms of dying and breathed his previous couple of hours in the past at the age of 79.
We will miss one of Nigeria’s fathers of Afro/Highlife Music , a gentleman and a tremendous Saxophonist. May daddy Orlando Julius soul journey effectively . To your entire Ekemode household could God provide the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.”
Julius was a saxophonist, singer and bandleader. A local of Ijebu Ijesha, his musical profession took flight within the 60s when Eddie Okonta invited him to hitch his band. Earlier than then, he had been tutored by Highlife musician Jazz Romero. With Okonta’s band, Julius carried out in lots of gigs and opened for the American trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong. In subsequent years, he would play with different bands, together with Hugh Masakela and opened for different excessive profile worldwide acts. Julius additionally opened for the enduring American musician James Brown.
He launched his first hit ‘Jagua Nana’ in 1965 and went on to tour West Africa. Julius fashioned the Ashiko motion and taught individuals his type of music though he didn’t keep on this place for lengthy.
After spending a while in america, he returned to Nigeria in 1984. He shortly started recording tracks for the album Dance Afro-Beat, main him to place collectively the 18-person Nigerian All-Stars band.
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