Sikiru Adepoju
Encyclopedia
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, primarily in the genres of traditional African music and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. He plays a variety of instruments and styles.
Background
A master of the talking drum, Adepoju comes from a musical family from Eruwa in western Nigeria. He and his brothers Saminu and Lasisi were taught drumming very early by their father, Chief Ayanleke Adepoju, whose very name, Ayan, means "descended from drummers." While still in his teens, Sikiru toured with and recorded several albums with the Inter-Reformers Band, the band of one of the pioneers of Afro-beat, Nigerian Juju artist Chief Commander Ebenezer ObeyEbenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey , nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian pop musician.- Biography :Obey, whose full name is Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, was born in Idogo, Ogun State, Nigeria of Egba-Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba. He began his professional...
.
Musical career
In 1985, Adepoju came to America to play with O.J. Ekemode's Nigerian All-Stars, and one year later met Babatunde OlatunjiBabatunde Olatunji
Babatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist and recording artist.- Biography :Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, a small town near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nigeria. A member of the Yoruba people, Olatunji was introduced to traditional African music at...
.
He became an integral part of Olatunji's Drums of Passion, and through Olatunji met Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
drummer Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
. Since then he has frequently been a guest percussionist during Hart and Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
's "Rhythm Devils" segments of Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
concerts, and played talking drum with Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
's group Bembe Orishas, which toured in 2002. He has been a part of most of Micky Hart's projects since they first met, including the albums (and associated tours) Mickey Hart's Mystery Box, At the Edge, and Supralingua, and was a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
contributor to Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
's Planet Drum and Global Drum Project albums.
He has collaborated with Muruga Booker
Muruga Booker
Muruga Booker is an American drummer, recording artist, and Orthodox priest.- Biography :Booker was born Steven Bookvich in Detroit, Michigan on December 27, 1942 and is of Serbian decent. His father, Melvin Bookvich, was a shoemaker who played accordion. He has a wife, Shakti; a son, Aaron; and a...
and Olatunji on the CD Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations (recently remastered and re-issued by Chesky Records
Chesky Records
Chesky Records is a record label aimed primarily at audiophiles. For the most part, jazz, Latin jazz, classical, and adult contemporary CDs and DVDs are produced, but they also manufacture high end audio equipment. The label was founded and is run by grammy nominated composer David Chesky and his...
as Circle of Drums). He plays with Muruga Booker
Muruga Booker
Muruga Booker is an American drummer, recording artist, and Orthodox priest.- Biography :Booker was born Steven Bookvich in Detroit, Michigan on December 27, 1942 and is of Serbian decent. His father, Melvin Bookvich, was a shoemaker who played accordion. He has a wife, Shakti; a son, Aaron; and a...
and Badal Roy
Badal Roy
Badal Roy is a tabla player, percussionist, and recording artist known for his work in jazz, world music, and experimental music.-Biography:...
as part of the Global Village Ceremonial Band, and appeared with them at the Starwood Festival
Starwood Festival
The Starwood Festival is a seven-day Neo-Pagan, New Age, multi-cultural and world music festival presented in mid- to late July. Approximately 1,500 people attend including staff, speakers and entertainers. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects...
in 2003, which led to the creation of the SpiritDrum Festival (a tribute to Babatunde Olatunji
Babatunde Olatunji
Babatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist and recording artist.- Biography :Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, a small town near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nigeria. A member of the Yoruba people, Olatunji was introduced to traditional African music at...
, which also featured Jim Donovan
Jim Donovan (musician)
Jim Donovan is a professional drummer and percussionist, a recording artist, writer, teacher and lecturer. He is best known as the drummer and one of the founding members of the band Rusted Root. He plays both standard drum kit and African hand drums such as the djembe, ashiko and talking drum...
of Rusted Root
Rusted Root
Rusted Root is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known for their unique fusion of acoustic, rock, world and other styles of music, with a strong percussion section that draws from African, Latin American, Native American, and Indian influences...
, Perry Robinson
Perry Robinson
Perry Morris Robinson is an American jazz clarinetist and composer. He is the son of the noted composer Earl Robinson. -Biography:...
, Jeff Rosenbaum and Halim El-Dabh
Halim El-Dabh
Halim Abdul Messieh El-Dabh is an Egyptian-born American composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and educator, who has had a career spanning six decades...
). He has recorded albums with artists as varied as Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
, Bola Abimbola
Bola Abimbola
Bola Abimbola is a vocalist, recording artist, and record producer from Lagos, Nigeria.- Musical career :Bola’s career in music began at the age of nineteen with his first recording - Silifa Bamijo which featured a Yoruba-language version of Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get EnoughBola has...
, The String Cheese Incident, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
, Chief Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey
Ebenezer Obey , nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian pop musician.- Biography :Obey, whose full name is Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, was born in Idogo, Ogun State, Nigeria of Egba-Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba. He began his professional...
, the Inter-Reformers Band, and the Nigerian All-Stars.
Sikiru also leads groups of his own, including The Honeymakers, Afrika Heartbeat, and Sikiru Adepoju & Heart Beat. Afrika Heartbeat debut their first CD, entitled Ijinle Ilu, in 2003. The band Sikiru Adepoju & Heart Beat debut on July 22, 2009 at the 29th Starwood Festival
Starwood Festival
The Starwood Festival is a seven-day Neo-Pagan, New Age, multi-cultural and world music festival presented in mid- to late July. Approximately 1,500 people attend including staff, speakers and entertainers. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects...
, featuring Douglas "Val" Serrant (steel drum and djembe
Djembe
A djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
), guitarist Peter Fujii, percussionist Deen Badarou, trap drummer Deszon X. Claiborne, and DJ Deegan Mack Adams. At the same event he and Serrant joined a re-launch of the Rainforest Band
Rainforest Band
The Rainforest Band is a jam band that spans several genres, including jazz, rock, world music, R&B, and funk. Founded in 1990, it produced four albums and performed for ten years.-History:...
as a tribute to Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders, was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ.-Biography:...
, the site of their last performance, featuring his son Tony Saunders
Tony Saunders (bassist)
Tony Saunders is an American bass player and keyboards player in the genres of jazz, gospel and world music. He is a composer, arranger, and music producer, and head of his own studio, Y-Not Muzik.-Biography:...
, Michael Hinton, and other members of the Rainforest Band and other Saunders’ projects.
Discography
- The Apocalypse Now Sessions - Rhythm Devils (1979) Rykodisc
- Juju Jubilee (1985) - Ebenezer ObeyEbenezer ObeyEbenezer Obey , nicknamed the "Chief Commander," is a Nigerian pop musician.- Biography :Obey, whose full name is Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi, was born in Idogo, Ogun State, Nigeria of Egba-Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba. He began his professional...
- Drums of Passion: The Invocation (1988) - Babatunde OlatunjiBabatunde OlatunjiBabatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist and recording artist.- Biography :Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, a small town near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nigeria. A member of the Yoruba people, Olatunji was introduced to traditional African music at...
- Drums of Passion: The Beat (1989) - Babatunde Olatunji
- At the Edge (1990) - Mickey HartMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
- Planet Drum (1991) – Mickey Hart
- Jungle FeverJungle Fever (soundtrack)Jungle Fever is the 1991 soundtrack album by Stevie Wonder to Spike Lee's movie Jungle Fever. It was released on Motown. Wonder was asked by director Spike Lee to compose the film soundtrack and film score to the film, which depicted a black businessman falling for a white female associate...
(1991) - Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist... - Drums of Passion: Celebrate Freedom, Justice & Peace (1993) - Babatunde Olatunji
- Big Bang (1995) - Various Artists
- Mickey Hart's Mystery Box (1996) - Mickey Hart
- Watchfire (1996) - Pete Sears & Friends
- Best of Ellipsis Arts (1997) - Various Artists
- Supralingua (1998) - Mickey Hart & Planet Drum
- The Rose that Grew from ConcreteThe Rose that Grew from ConcreteThe Rose That Grew from Concrete is an album based on the poetry of Tupac Shakur, released in 2000. This album features a large cast of celebrities reading Shakur's poetry and writing, much in the spirit of a traditional spoken word album....
(2000) - Honour Simplicity, Respect the Flow (2000) - Kai EckhardtKai EckhardtKai Eckhardt is a German musician and composer who plays bass, best known for his work with John McLaughlin, Vital Information, the band he co-founded Garaj Mahal and Billy Cobham...
- Best of Mickey Hart: Over the Edge and Back (2002) - Mickey Hart
- Ijinle Ilu - Afrika Heartbeat (2003)
- Life After That (2003) - Airto MoreiraAirto MoreiraAirto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
- Soup's On Fire (2003) - Jana Herzen
- July 21, 2004 San Francisco Ca: On The Road (2004) - The String Cheese Incident
- Circle of Drums (2005) - Babatunde Olatunji
- Ara Kenge (2005) - Bola AbimbolaBola AbimbolaBola Abimbola is a vocalist, recording artist, and record producer from Lagos, Nigeria.- Musical career :Bola’s career in music began at the age of nineteen with his first recording - Silifa Bamijo which featured a Yoruba-language version of Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get EnoughBola has...
- Global Drum Project (2008) - Global Drum Project
- Rhythm Devils Concert Experience (2009) Star City