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Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye MFR, popularly known as King
Sunny Adé, (born on the 22nd of September, 1946) is a Nigerian musician, singer-
songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and important figure in the West African musical style jùjú.
One of the first African pop musicians to gain interntational success, he has been classed as
one of the most influential musicians of all time.
Sunny Adé's music is characterised by, among other instruments, the talking drum – an
instrument indigenous to his Yoruba roots, the guitar and his peculiar application to jùjú
music, that would easily put him in the same class as guitar musicians like Santana. His music
is in the age-old tradition of singing poetic lyrics ("ewi" in Yoruba) and praise of dignitaries as
well components of Juju (traditional African belief) called the Ogede (casting a spell). Hence,
Adé's music constitutes a record of the oral tradition of his people for posterity.
One of these albums was 1988's Odu, a collection of traditional Yoruba songs, for which he
was nominated for the second Grammy Award and thus making him the first African to be
nominated twice for a Grammy.
He is a visiting lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile- Ife and recipient of the
national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic.