Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Tunde King

Role / Field:

Pioneering Nigerian musician and credited founder of the Jùjú music genre.

Born:

1910-08-24

Died:

1980

Century / Era:

1910s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Tunde King (born 24 August 1910), was a Nigerian musician credited as the founder of Jùjú music. He had a great influence on Nigerian popular music. Lagos in the 1920s and 1930s was peopled by a mixture of local Yoruba people and returnees from the New World. Together they created a form of music named "Palm Wine" that combined Yoruba folk music with musical idioms from countries such as Brazil and Cuba.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Banjos, guitars, shakers and hand drums supported lilting songs about daily life. Jùjú music was Palm Wine music that originated in the Olowogbowo area of Lagos in the 1920s, in a motor mechanic workshop where "area boys" used to gather to drink and make music. Tunde King was the leader of this group. 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.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

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 the Eko Boys High School. A schoolmate taught him to play guitar, and he became a leading member of a local group of...

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Frequently Asked Questions about Tunde King