Fela Kuti
Appearance
Fela Kuti | |
---|---|
![]() Fela Kuti in 1970 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti |
Born | Abeokuta, Nigeria | 15 October 1938
Origin | Abeokuta, Nigeria |
Died | 2 August 1997 Lagos, Nigeria | (aged 58)
Genres | Afrobeat |
Occupation(s) | musician, activist |
Instruments | Saxophone Vocals Keyboards Trumpet Guitar Drums |
Years active | 1958–1997 |
Labels |
|
Fela Anikulapo Kuti (15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), or just Fela, was a Nigerian musician and composer who was very important in a genre called afrobeat. He played the saxophone, guitar, drums, keyboards and trumpet, and he sang. He was also a human rights activist.[1] The American singer James Brown said that Kuti was one of the originators (starters) of the funk genre.
Kuti died in 1997 of Kaposi's sarcoma, an illness caused by AIDS.[2] In 2008 a musical production called Fela! was created, about Kuti's life and career.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Seattle Weekly: Barack Obama and the Original First Black President, archived from the original on 2009-07-17, retrieved 2009-07-17
- ↑ Farber, Jim (2009-11-21), "Fela Kuti: as Broadway musical 'Fela!' set to open, everything you need to know of Afrobeat legend", New York Daily News, archived from the original on 2009-11-27, retrieved 2009-12-27