13 Facts About Fela Sowande

Chief Olufela Obafunmilayo "Fela" Sowande MBE was a Nigerian musician and composer.

Fela Sowande was born 29 May 1905 in Abeokuta, near Lagos, the son of Emmanuel Fela Sowande, a priest and pioneer of Nigerian church music.

At that time, Fela Sowande was a chorister and was introduced to new Yoruba works being introduced into the churches.

Under Phillips' tutelage, Fela Sowande earned the Fellowship Diploma from the Royal College of Organists.

In 1934, Fela Sowande went to London to study European classical and popular music.

Fela Sowande played as part of a pianist duo with Fats Waller, was theatre organist for the BBC, Choirmaster at Kingsway Hall and pianist in the 1936 production of Blackbirds.

Fela Sowande obtained a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of London and became a Fellow of Trinity College of Music.

Fela Sowande went back to Nigeria to scholarly work with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation and later the University of Ibadan.

In 1952 Fela Sowande became musical director of the Nigerian Broadcasting Service; in the 1955 Queen's Birthday Honours he was appointed MBE for this work.

Fela Sowande was one of the six judges who selected the Nigerian National Anthem in 1960.

Fela Sowande wrote a significant amount of secular and sacred choral music, mainly a cappella.

Fela Sowande died in Ravenna and is buried in Randolph Township, Ohio.

Fela Sowande recorded five movements from his collection of organ works, The Negro in Sacred Idiom, the following year.