Tunde King
Founder of Jùjú music in Lagos.
Last updated
Tunde King (24 August 1910 – 1980s) is recognized as the originator of Jùjú music, a style that deeply shaped Nigerian popular music. He was born Abdulrafiu Babatunde King in the Olowogbowo area of Lagos Island, a neighborhood dominated by the Saro community.
His father, Ibrahim Sanni King, was a chief Native Court clerk at Ilaro and a member of the Muslim Saro minority; he had also lived in Fourah Bay, Sierra Leone. King attended a local Methodist primary school and Eko Boys High School, where a schoolmate taught him guitar. He became a leading figure among local "area boys" who gathered at a mechanic’s workshop on West Balogun Street to talk, drink beer, and sing with improvised instruments.
By 1929, King held a clerical job and performed part-time as a singer and guitarist in a trio using guitar, samba, and maracas. He later switched to tambourine, guitar-banjo, and sekere (shaker). By the mid-1930s, he had achieved notable success with recordings and radio broadcasts, but still relied on live gigs—often at private events—for income. For instance, he played at the wake of Dr. Oguntola Sapara in June 1935.
When World War II broke out in 1939, King joined the Merchant Marines. He returned to Lagos in 1941, then vanished for eleven years. He was later found playing in Francophone ports like Conakry and Dakar, and came back to Lagos in 1954.
Jùjú music grew out of the Palm Wine music scene in 1920s Lagos, where local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World mixed Yoruba folk music with influences from Brazil and Cuba. Banjos, guitars, shakers, and hand drums accompanied songs about daily life.
Music
King’s group started in a motor mechanic workshop in the Olowogbowo area. He explained that the name "Jùjú" came from a tambourine he bought at a Salvation Army store and gave to his samba drummer. The drummer developed a flashy style, tossing the tambourine in the air and catching it; the audience called this "Jù-jú," echoing the Yoruba word for "throw" with its tonal accent.
King’s trio grew into a quartet: King on six-string guitar-banjo and vocals, Ishola Caxton Martins on sekere, Ahmeed Lamidi George on tambourine, and Sanya ("Snake") Johnson on tomtom with backing vocals. They created a moderate, ensemble-driven sound with simple harmonies supporting the guitar and voice.
Lore & Background
Abdulrafiu Babatunde King was born in the Saro-dominated Olowogbowo area of Lagos Island on 24 August 1910. He was the son of Ibrahim Sanni King, a member of the minority Muslim Saro community. His father was a chief Native Court clerk at Ilaro and had lived for some time in Fourah Bay, Sierra Leone.
Tunde King attended a local Methodist primary school and Eko Boys High School. A schoolmate taught him to play guitar, and he became a leading member of a local group of 'area boys' who hung out at a mechanic's shop on West Balogun Street. The group talked, drank beer and sang, accompanied by improvised instruments.
By 1929, King had a clerical job and worked part-time as a singer and guitarist with a trio including guitar, samba and maracas, later changing to tambourine, guitar-banjo, and sekere. By the mid-1930s, he enjoyed considerable success, with several recordings and radio broadcasts, but still relied on live performances to earn a living, often at private functions. For example, King played at the wake of the prominent doctor Oguntola Sapara in June 1935. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Tunde King joined the Merchant Marines.
He returned to Lagos in 1941, then disappeared for the next eleven years. He was rediscovered playing in Francophone ports such as Conakry and Dakar, and returned to Lagos in 1954. He died in the 1980s.
Reader's Guide
Tunde King is significant as the founder of Jùjú music, a genre that emerged from the Palm Wine music of Lagos in the 1920s. His trio, later a quartet, created a guitar-centered sound blending Yoruba talking drum with Western and Afro-Cuban influences. The name 'Jùjú' originated when King bought a tambourine from a Salvation Army store; his drummer developed a flamboyant style of throwing and catching it, which the audience called 'Jù-jú,' duplicating the Yoruba word for 'throw.' King's recordings for Parlophone, starting in 1936, including 'Oba Oyinbo' and 'Eko Akete,' established his reputation, though he earned little from them. His songs expressed widespread feelings under British colonial rule, with ironic lyrics in 'Oba Oyinbo' and more explicit resentment in unrecorded songs like 'Soja Idunmota' and 'Eti Joluwe.' His legacy influenced contemporaries and later players such as Akanbi Ege, Ayinde Bakare, Tunde Nightingale, King Sunny Adé, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, General Prince Adekunle, Sir Shina Peters, and Segun Adewale, spanning from the 1940s into the 1980s.
More in World & Folk Traditions
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Tunde King (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced