WASHINGTON, DC – The mercurial legend Mr. Bongos Ikwue has returned to musical creativity after a successful pursuit in estate development. To mark this grand occasion, the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC played host to an exclusive listening cocktail on June 15th 2010.
For years, Bongos Ikwue has belonged to an exclusive class of world-renowned musicians such as Sunny Ade, Onyeka Owenu, Sir Victor Uwaifo and Sonny Okosun. His music, a sultry mélange of blues, folk and high life, transcended boundaries through his universal themes of love, humanity and self discovery. Always inspired by the vision of a unified Nigeria , it is no surprise that his new album “The Way It Is” incorporates this message of hope through anthems such as “One United Nigeria” and “Your God is my God”, “Mustapha & Christopher” and “1st of Nigeria”.
The event attracted guest’s representative of the diplomatic corps, corporate authorities, and lifelong fans. Invited guests had the unique opportunity to purchase a 5 CD autographed compilation of the artist’s works. This historical collection comprises all 11 classic albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released between the years 1973 – 1980. Never before has the entire collection of albums, originally released on LP, been available for purchase.
Bongos Ikwue’s rich history in the professional music industry began in 1967, however his amateur days date back as far as 1959. The founder of The Groovies, Bongos Ikwue became the only man in Nigeria at that time to give modern blues real meaning and new soul. This unique sound of rhythm and blues along with funky dance beats made Bongos instantly popular with a wide spectrum of fans. It was not known at the time that these fans would follow his music and career spanning more than three decades, multiple countries and eleven albums. Many grew up listening to these historical recordings, but since have become scarce in their original true form. Many have written asking for a way to purchase this music that means so much to them so that they could pass it along to other generations.
Documentary by Dami Odetola and Tosan Aduayi for Trendy Africa.
Trendy Africa – Official Media Partner
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