17 Facts About Ayinde Barrister

1.

Sikiru Ololade Ayinde Balogun, MFR, better known by his stage name Ayinde Barrister was a Nigerian-born Yoruba singer-songwriter, songproducer and music performer.

2.

Ayinde Barrister is regarded as a pioneer of Fuji and Were music.

3.

Ayinde Barrister was born on 9 February 1948, to the family of Salawu Balogun who was a trader from Ibadan, and his father was a butcher.

4.

Ayinde Barrister had his early education at Muslim Mission School and the Model School, Mushin, Lagos.

5.

Ayinde Barrister later studied typing and other commercial related classes at Yaba Polytechnic.

6.

Ayinde Barrister started playing music at a young age as an ajiwere singer during the period of Ramadan; he continued playing music in between various jobs.

7.

Ayinde Barrister worked as a typist, known today as a secretary, for Nigerian Breweries and was later enlisted as a clerk in the Nigerian Army during the Nigeria Civil War.

8.

Ayinde Barrister served in the 10th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army under Col Adeniran and fought in Awka, Abagana and Onitsha.

9.

Ayinde Barrister left the army to become a full-time musician and proceeded to start a full-fledged band of 34 percussionists and vocalists called the "Supreme Fuji Commanders".

10.

Ayinde Barrister released further records under the label African Songs Ltd before starting his own label Siky-Oluyole Records.

11.

Ayinde Barrister went on to record various albums including Iwa, Nigeria, Fuji Garbage and New Fuji Garbage under his imprint.

12.

Ayinde Barrister had a bitter feud with another Fuji singer, Kollington Ayinla in 1982.

13.

Ayinde Barrister had a couple of successful shows in London in 1990 and 1993 performing what later became known as the Fuji Garbage sound.

14.

Ayinde Barrister's Fuji Music is a blend of earlier traditional musical genres of Apala, Sakara, Awurebe and others.

15.

Ayinde Barrister often used his music as a tool of commentary on issues of national concern, especially, politics.

16.

Ayinde Barrister was blessed in the art of praising enigmatic.

17.

Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister earned so many notable awards during his lifetime and music career however the most significant is the conferment of the honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2006, President Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo.