Israel Olorunfeh Cole (March 20, 1944 – October 13, 2007)
[http://awoko.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=1300&cntnt01returnid=196 Awoka Newspaper Obituary] better known by his stage name Dr. Oloh was a
Sierra Leonean
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
Afro pop music, afropop and
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
musician. Dr Oloh is widely considered one of the biggest musicians from Sierra Leone. His
hit singles
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
were very popular in Sierra Leone in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.
Early life and career
Israel Olorunfeh Cole, commonly known as Dr. Oloh was born on March 20, 1944, in the mountain
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
of
Leicester, near
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...
in the
Western Area
The Western Area or Freetown Peninsula (formerly the Colony of Sierra Leone) is one of five principal divisions of Sierra Leone. It comprises the oldest city and national capital Freetown and its surrounding towns and countryside. It covers an a ...
of
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
to a
Nigerian
Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
mother and a
Creole father. He led a band known as Milo Jazz. He was awarded the OR (Order of Rokel) by the Sierra Leonean Government in 1989. Oloh and his band toured the United Kingdom a couple of times.
He died on October 13, 2007, after a short illness.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oloh, Dr.
Sierra Leone Creole people
1944 births
2007 deaths
Sierra Leonean musicians
People from Western Area Rural District