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Segun Bucknor (29 March 1946 – 11 August 2017) was a Nigerian musician and journalist active during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a pianist and guitarist specializing in genres ranging from
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 ...
to
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
and to
funk.
Through their brief career, Segun Bucknor and the Assembly released a variety of music dealing with Nigerian culture or political influence which was described by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
as an "interesting slice of Nigerian pop music history and culture".
Bucknor was the father of media personality
Tosyn Bucknor and businesswoman
Funke Bucknor-Obruthe.
Early life
Bucknor was born in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
on 29 March 1946. He was educated at
King's College and
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
,
New York.
He was a member of the school's band and choir. He started out playing the
tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria ...
as a junior band member but later graduated to learning the guitar and piano.
During this time, he apprenticed under
Roy Chicago's band.
Career
In 1964, he was a member of a newly formed band, the Hot Four.
He was the band's organist and lead guitar player; other members were Mike Nelson Cole, the band leader and Sunmi Smart Cole, the drummer. The group played regularly in Lagos clubs such as Surulere night club.
However, Bucknor traveled to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to study for a couple of years.
During his time in the United States, he was influenced by
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
.
After his return in 1968, the band received funding from a trio of investors and upon the exit of Mike Nelson Cole, Bucknor became the band leader.
In 1969, the name of the band became Segun Bucknor and the Assembly.
The group recorded
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
songs including "Lord Give Me Soul" and "I Will Love You No Matter How". Gradually the group migrated from soul songs to a style of
afrobeat
Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...
; in performance a dancing trio called the Sweet Things was included.
Bucknor was known for establishing politics into his music.
In 1970, the band released "Son of 15 January", The ''Son of 15 January'' treating the assassination of
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria upon independence.
Early life
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 in modern-day ...
, which occurred on 15 January 1966.
In the 1970s, the band released more politically charged songs, "Sorrow, Sorrow, Sorrow", "Poor Man No Get Brother", before its popularity began to slip around the mid-1970s.
Bucknor retired from music after receiving threats due to his political views.
After Segun Bucknor and the Assembly disbanded in 1975, Bucknor dedicated his time to journalism.
He wrote about political corruption, the same concept as during his musical career.
Bucknor kept a low profile during the 1980s and 1990s due to low popularity and wanting to focus on his family.
He made rare musical appearances at cafes during the early 2000s.
In recent years, he was kept out of the public by poor health.
He made a few broadcasts on his daughter
Tosyn Bucknor's social media account.
In 2002, the BBC published a review covering Bucknor's career from 1969 through 1975.
It praises Bucknor's "reissue of various recordings made from 1969 to 1975
hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
represents an interesting slice of Nigerian pop music history and culture".
Style
Bucknor was noted for switching between singing and shouting from singing alone, floating above every instrument, or in a clear loud voice.
The drums, percussion, guitar, bass, keys and horns would be accessories to his vocals.
The progression of his sound is more circular and rhythmic, floating around you, and dancing would be involved in his music.
His lyrics were in English and Yoruba.
Personal life
Bucknor was married to Sola Bucknor until his death in 2017.
Together, they had two children:
Tosyn Bucknor, a media personality, and
Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, a businesswoman.
Bucknor died in Lagos early on 11 August 2017 after multiple
strokes at the age of 71.
His death was announced by his daughter Funke on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
.
He also had
hypertension and
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Segun Bucknor's discographyat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
Segun Bucknorat
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucknor, Segun
1946 births
2017 deaths
Nigerian male musicians
Musicians from Lagos
Nigerian soul musicians
Segun
King's College, Lagos alumni
20th-century Nigerian musicians
21st-century Nigerian musicians
Nigerian journalists
Yoruba musicians
Columbia University alumni
English-language singers from Nigeria
Yoruba-language singers
People with diabetes