Although lacking formal education, he was very informed about current events and possessed a mastery of puns, proverbs, innuendos, and metaphors. He is considered to be one of the most original Yoruba musicians of post-colonial Nigeria.
Birth
Waidi Ayinla Yusuf Gbogbolowo, widely known as Ayinla Omowura, was born in Itoko, Abeokuta, in 1933. He was the son of Yusuff Gbogbolowo, a blacksmith, and Wuramotu Morenike.
He was raised as a Muslim and practised the religion, performing the Hajj in 1975. He also engaged in traditional religious practices.
Career And Feud
Ayinla Omowura did not have formal education and started out working at his father’s smithy but left and went on to working several jobs as a driver, butcher, carpenter, and bus park boy He was, however, discovered by Adewole Alao Oniluola, who later became his lead drummer and started an apprenticeship in Olalomi, an Apala variant.
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Omowura was known for feuding with other musicians, including his superiors such as Haruna Ishola, whom he later acknowledged to be his superior. He also feuded with Ayinde Barrister, Fatai Olowonyo, Yesufu Olatunji, and Dauda Epo Akara.
These feuds colored his music throughout his discography. He was noted to have a quick temper and to engage in marijuana use and physical altercations.
Despite being unlettered, Omowura was enlightened about current events and had a command of puns, proverbs, innuendos, and metaphors. He was a social commentator and critic as well as a moral instructor. He often served as a mouthpiece for passing on government policies to the masses and was also a messenger of the masses back to the government.
In his 1976 album, Owo Udoji, he hailed the government for salary increment but demanded for same increment in the private sector. In Orin Owo Ile Eko, He explained the Lagos rent edict to his listeners and also praised the Mobolaji Johnson-led Lagos State government for the masses-oriented programme. He influenced the response of the people to the policy and also explained the National Census of 1973 in his album National Census.
In the 1973 album, Challenge Cup ’73 he explained the change in driving from the left to the right hand side and the change of the Nigerian Currency from the colonial Pound Sterling to the Naira and Kobo during the General Yakubu Gowon-led military government. Aside from current affairs, he used his albums to extol the importance of sporting activities. His music also preached positive change in society and portrayed both mourning and celebration. He was also a critic of women who bleached their skin and promiscuous women.
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He had many aliases and earned the moniker, Hadji Costly, because of his flamboyant dressing in agbadas made of high quality Swiss lace and gold jewellery. His other aliases include Egunmogaji, Anigilaje, and Alujannu Elere, which demonstrated his status as the enfant terrible in music of the time.
He was married to Afusatu of the Ile Eleni clan and Tawakalitu Owonikoko.
Death
Omowura was killed in a bar room brawl on May 6, 1980, aged 47. He died from a cerebral haemorrhage after being struck on the head with a beer mug by Bayewu, his manager at the time. Bayewu was taken to court and sentenced to death a few years later.
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On the day he died, EMI Records recorded at least 50,000 copies of sales on each of his albums.
Last Line
He made 22 LP records, which were released by EMI Records (now Ivory Records Nigeria), 2 of which were released posthumously and have remained in circulation
Culled From Wikipedia
