For veteran juju musician, Dayo Kujore , it was either music or nothing despite the fact that he had acquired a technical knowledge as an engineer .
In a chat with Saturday Beats, the juju singer said that when he ventured into music , his parents were so uncertain about how his life would pan out that his mother had to prostrate on the floor begging him to quit music for another profession .
“My father died when I was quite young , so I have more memories of my mother . However , she was not pleased with the development . I remember a day when my mother prostrated on the floor holding my leg that I should not go out to perform. She said that if it was a church programme , it would have been better but I was going to perform at a juju gig . She really did not have a choice because my music was not hindering my other activities like school and house chores. I was able to combine everything . I got so popular to the point that when some of those bands needed a guitarist to play for them in Lagos , I was the one they called to perform with them . I would leave my village as young as I was to play different gigs in Lagos . It was during one of those performances that some top shots in the juju scene in Lagos watched me perform and they invited me to join their band . I later joined S. A Oni ’ s band because they noticed that I am talented . I toured different parts of Lagos with them till I met the likes of Prince Adekunle . I was with Prince Adekunle for a while till some of his band members left to form their own group. Initially , I was just a guitarist but at the time but one day when I went with a musician for a performance , the man did not mount the stage on time and this angered the crowd . Soon their patience grew thin and they began to throw stones at the stage . I was the smallest amongst the band members but they were all confused , so I mounted the stage and started playing my guitar , soon after I began to sing, that was the first day I ever sang in front of a crowd in my life . When the musician later mounted the stage , the crowd began to request for me that they loved my style of singing. It was not until that incident happened that I realised I could sing. Prior to that day , I was only an instrumentalist . Initially , I was a very shy person but as I held that microphone , the yoke broke. I never knew I was that brave but I think I got courageous because I did not want the crowd to get belligerent , ” he said.
The singer said that to allay his mother ’ s fears , he ensured he became a success in his career , eventually , his mother was happy for him . “She was very happy for me . There was a day I was playing and I invited her to the stage ; she was so happy that day and it was very obvious . She was always more delighted whenever I sang gospel songs on stage , ” he said.
Follow Kemifilanisblog
I might sue NBC if ban on ‘This is Nigeria’ is not lifted –Falz
More on Dayo Kujore
