Keziah Jones - Unplugged Strasbourg Sep 08 - 5

Keziah Jones (born Olufemi Sanyaolu on 10 January 1968) is 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 ...

singer-songwriter and guitarist. He describes his musical style as "Blufunk", which is a fusion between raw

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

elements and hard, edgy

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

rhythms. Also his Nigerian roots in

Yoruba music Yoruba music is the pattern/style of music practiced by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Togo, and Benin. It is perhaps best known for its extremely advanced drumming tradition and techniques, especially using the gongon hourglass shape tension drums ...

and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

can be considered a major influence on his sound. He is known for his distinctive style of guitar playing, including his percussive right-hand technique which is similar to a bass guitarist's slapping technique.

Life and career

Olufemi Sanyaolu a.k.a. Keziah Jones is the son of Oshodolamu Sanyaolu; Chief of the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

and successful

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

and Abiola Sanyaolu. Born on 10 January 1968, Jones spent his early childhood in a large family in a part of Nigeria in the city of Lagos. From a young age he was being prepared to follow his father's footsteps in the family concern and was expected to have an academic career. Therefore, his father enrolled him in a

Public School Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

in London and he left Nigeria at the age of eight to be educated in England. ''"I had to find a way out of all that, and music was it!"'' By the age of 13 he had discovered the old school piano and taught himself how to play and write songs. Three years later he switched to the guitar, increasingly neglecting his studies. After scraping through exams he went against his father's wishes and family tradition even more by skipping school and

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

in the streets, clubs and

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

, constantly avoiding the police. Jones led a

bohemian lifestyle Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, a ...

for several years instead of the one envisaged for him. "Lose all time, love your mind, free your soul!" were words from his song

Free Your Soul Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...

. Moving from London to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and back again frequently accompanied only by his guitar, the young Jones acquired a reputation as a talented musician and charismatic performer with a unique "hard funk" style. In 1990, whilst busking in London's Portobello Road, Keziah was discovered by composer and ex-keyboard player for Sailor and

Culture Club Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...

Phil Pickett Philip Stuart Pickett (born 19 November 1946) is an English songwriter, musician, vocal arranger, producer and artist manager. He is principally known as a songwriter and musician and for co-writing and recording " Karma Chameleon", one of the ...

quickly evolving into full-time management of the artist. Pickett signed Jones to a long-term songwriting agreement with Hit & Run Music Publishing (photo Billboard 1990) whose executive, Dave Massey, had recorded songs by Jones when at Chrysalis Music. Massey continued to be involved in Keziah's career for the next 8 years. After a brief but near disastrous flirtation with Capitol Records in the US, in 1992, Pickett signed Keziah to Emmanuel de Buretel's Delabel label for his debut album '' Blufunk Is a Fact''. Recording in London with producer

Kevin Armstrong Kevin Armstrong (1922–1992 ) was a dual player who played Gaelic football, football and hurling for his local club O'Connell's GAA, O'Connell's and for the Antrim GAA, Antrim senior inter-county teams in both codes from the 1940s until the 19 ...

, included in the worldwide success of the project was Keziah's first single "Rhythm Is Love". Jones attributes his Parisian subway experiences as highly instrumental to his by now blossoming career in his official biography.Keziah Jones Official Biography
/ref> By 2008, Jones had recorded five albums and one live DVD. After performing many shows and festivals throughout the world between 2009 and 2012, late in 2012 Keziah Jones was back in Lagos preparing to record his new studio album set for worldwide release on

Because Music Because Music is an independent record label with headquarters in Paris and London. Because Music SAS is the main label, with Because Music Ltd handling the British artist roster. Because Music was founded in 2005 by former president of Virgin F ...

in 2013

Influences

Keziah often cites Fela Kuti,

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

as important influences.

Art

Keziah Jones also draws, paints and writes poetry. He is a photographer and has produced short films, including one entitled '' BLACKSPEEDTEXT'' This film, his music and the other facets of his artistic life reflect his experiences on the streets.

Personal life

Keziah was married to Anglo-Nigerian singer Akure Wall in 1994. They separated in 1996. On 14 January 2012 Keziah married Hauwa Mukan, they separated in December 2013.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs

* ''Frinigrô Interstellar'' (1991) * ''Live'' (1993) * ''The African Anarchist'' (1999)

Videography

*''Live at the Elysée Montmartre'' (14 June 2004)

Singles

Filmography

* '' Eva & Leon'' (2015)

References

External links

Official SiteOfficial BiographyMySpace Official PageKeziah Jones studio performance: Lagos vs. New York
HD on BBCAfrica's YouTube Channel, 13 August 2009, retrieved 20, 10 March
A very extensive collection site!Artist Portrait by Keziah's LabelVideo-Interview at Caprices Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Keziah Nigerian singer-songwriters Nigerian guitarists 20th-century Nigerian male singers Nigerian buskers Musicians from Lagos Living people 1968 births Yoruba musicians 20th-century guitarists Because Music artists