Died On This Date (August 2, 1997) Fela Kuti / Afro-Beat Pioneer
themusicsover Fela Kuti
October 15, 1938 – August 2, 1997
An afro-beat pioneer, the Nigerian born Fela Kuti was considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Born to politically active parents in 1938, Kuti later went to London to study medicine, but switched to music. While in college he formed his first band which introduced a sound that married jazz, funk and the West African traditional music, later to be called afro-beat. While visiting the United States in 1969, Kuti was introduced to the Black Power movement, which would strongly influence his beliefs and music moving forward. He soon became a target of the Nigerian government due to the confrontational lyrics in his songs. His house was burned down and he was beaten by soldiers on multiple occasions. But he kept doing what he did best, make great music with a strong message of the people. To many, his voice and words were as important as Bob Marley’s were. Fela Kuti died from complications of AIDS on August 2, 1997.
What You Should Own
Known as “Maryland’s Five String King,” Jack Sanbower and his No Leeway Band have been entertaining bluegrass fans for over 15 years. Teaching himself to play the banjo, guitar and bass at an early age, Sanbower quickly built a name for himself throughout the northeast due to his fierce picking on the 5-string banjo. In 1990, Sanbower formed the No Leeway Band who, over the next 15 years, dazzled audiences along the east coast bluegrass circuit and recorded close to a dozen albums for the Buck Hallow label. In 2006, Sanbower joined Rattlesnake Hill, quickly becoming their on-stage focal point for his rapid fire picking and lively antics. But the fun would not last long as Sanbower soon became diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He died as a result of the cancer on July 29, 2008. He was 47.
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