The Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade 1, has congratulated Sunday Adéníyi Adegeye, known professionally as King Sunny Adé, on his 80th birthday , describing him “”as a trail blazer, music maestro, a rare breed and a precious gift who has remained active in spite of his age on the music scene, thus reinforcing his position as a cultural ambassador, who has done so much to project a positive image for the country over the years””.
In a statement in a release by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, Alaafin lauded Sunny Ade’s contribution to the growth of Nigerian music,which has become a global brand, crediting him and other musical stars of his generation for charting the path for today’s generation of ”Young Turks” in the industry.
According to Oba Owoade, “” King Sunny Ade is a muse, a prodigious songster, creative enigma, and conversationalist musician, whose reach in musical world is limitless. He could single up to the age of eighty due to combination of factors which include his dexterity, originality, hard work and above all the grace of God.
“” The juju exponent has made his mark in the music world as one of the most gifted and prolific singers and song writers with an uncommon consistency in the last five decades. He is one of the music icons on the African continent. He is a gift not only to Nigeria but also the whole music communities of the world””.
The Paramount Ruler pointed out that King Sunny Axe’s success should spur parents to support their children interested in making a career in music, and inspired a lot of Nigerians to make a success of their career in it.
“Not too many parents would have encouraged their children to take to music before Sunny Ade, but Sunny Ade made it viable and made it interesting for people to play music. He ( Sunny Ade)! in a way developed the path that a lot of people have followed. He performed before Presidents, Governors, Kings, and other eminent personalities. That definitely has helped put music on a very respectable pedestal and inspired quite a lot of people. I am not sure there is any person who would not want to have a Sunny Ade as a relation and that is good for music””.
He went further, “” King Sunny Ade should be named “Pride of Nigerian culture’’ as the leading projector of the nation’s cultural heritage to the world. His works would remain timeless because of the wisdom in his lyrics. The songs of the Juju music icon is an ever active lyric that will remain relevant even decades after, unlike our contemporary songs by our young artistes. it is a challenge for the computer age musicians, as most young artistes drift towards alien entertainment””.
Oba Owoade therefore prayed that God will grant the Juju maestro many moreyears in good health, so that the muse can continue to sing and sng to the benefit of humanity.
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