*Photo: Tunde Osofisan*
Tunde Osofisan was one of Roy Chicago’s Sidemen and one of Nigeria’s finest highlife singers.
I met Tunde Osofisan 19 years ago when I was putting up my final year project on Highlife music . He was a very unassuming man who composed and vocaled few songs for Roy Chicago and most of these songs had so much depth.
As a student of Ibadan Grammar school Osofisan started out with Roy Chicago’s Ryhthm Dandies Band and composed the song Olowo GBA Aya Ole in 1958. According to Tunde Osofisan in an interview he had with Benson Idonije in 1996. He said he wrote the song Olowo GBA Aya Ole otherwise called Bosede and was looking out for a band to accept it. He eventually got Roy Chicago to accept the song after been turned down by other Highlife legends at that time. He said as soon as he hummed the song for Roy Chicago he caught up with the bug and immediately he started rehearsals with the band.
Osofisan said Roy Chicago was so impressed with him on few of their outings and started picking him up to get more involved with the band.
Osofisan at that time was working with an oil company professionally but music was already a part of him because he was one of the most sought after professional vocalist of the scene of that era.
In Osofisan’s word he said he became fully involved with Roy’s band when Roy Chicago was in prison for 6 months after knocking down two kids in a car accident which cost them their lives. In his words he says” I stepped into his shoes as the bands major vocalist. More than ever before , the band became individually inspired. We played with commitment and cohesion, determined to keep the flag flying in the absence of our band leader who soon be released from incarceration. Moreover, on account of the loyalty the fans had for Roy Chicago and the band , they often rallied round to give us support. All our shows were fully packed.
According to Benson Idonije he said the highest point of Osofisan’s career was the show the band put up for Roy Chicago to celebrate Roy’s release from prison. The event took place at Abalabi Hotel, Mushin Lagos. The song Aiso Aba was composed by Baba Eto , Adeolu Akisanya and vocaled on this day by Tunde Osofisan. This event witnessed the Cream of Nigerian society and also NBC was there to transmit live.
Osofisan has confirmed in several interviews that that night of his boss release was the most eventful in his musical career as he watched his boss Chicago moved to tears and sympathizers also weeping because of the loaded message in the song.
The song Aiso Aba turned out to become another masterpiece in the repertoire of Roy Chicago.