: Timi laoye,King of Music, mega star!

[Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth]

I could conjecture that if Timi of Ede,Oba Adetotese Laoye  was still  physically  with us in the age of digital  platforms and followers he would have been Grammy status  performing star. Known worldwide 

He was a drummer, dancerr,story  teller,musicologist,teacher,cultural icon,pharmacist here is Gregory Austin  nwakunor  in the guardian of August  2 2020 45 years after the transition of laoye  :Adetoyese Laoye I: 45 Years After as theme, the virtual conference attracted a host of culture workers, experts and academics from all over the world. Among the speakers were, Prof. Ahmed Yerima, Prof. Toyin Falola, Prof. Jeleel Ojuade, Prof. Oyeronke Olademo and others.

The conference was an opportunity to encourage academic and scholars to stimulate interest in Yoruba arts and culture. It also afforded participants opportunity to renew interest in Timi Laoye. Since his demise in 1975, very little have been documented on the late king, whom the late Alhaji Maitama Sule called ‘The King who made music’.

The late Timi Laoye is said to have placed the talking drum on the global map. His works are still widely mentioned and celebrated in Yoruba arts and culture till date. His legacy is a major part of Yoruba History in Nigeria. Today, it is doubtful if anybody can discuss drums in African culture without mentioning his name. He was not just a drummer, he was also an authority to be consulted and studied.

With his drum, he became a regular guest at many fora including media outfits, academic arena and international environment. One of his legacies to the local media was the signature tune of the old Western Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (WNBC)/Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), which has been variously interpreted as B’olubadan ba ku, ta ni o joye, Ninu ikoko dudu lati n se’be, Gomina akoko o n’imu oru, Ko si onigbese ni bi, lo si ile keji, Ojegede dudu, inu ta bon, Belo Gbadamosi Olori Ole, Eko je’badan lowo, thirteen pounds.

His performance at different cultural events in Nigeria quickly made him a toast of many who wanted to listen and learn what the drum is saying and how it is said. He went to so many countries to perform and promote this aspect of Yoruba cultural life and achievement in music and the arts.

In 1965, he led his palace drummers to attend the Commonwealth Festivals of Arts where he delivered a paper on Yoruba music and afterwards, he was received at the Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty, the Queen of England.