Posthumous Birthday: What They Won\’t Tell You About Sikiru Ayinde Barrister At 70
Late music legend, Sikiru Ololade Ayinde Balogun, MFR, (February 9, 1948 – December 16, 2010) better known by his stage name Ayinde Barrister was a Nigerian born Yoruba singer songwriter and music performer. He is regarded as one of the pioneers and revolutioneers of Fuji and Were music. After his first break into music in 1965, Ayinde Barrister went on to release over 146 studio albums. Ayinde Barrister was born to the family of Salawu Balogun of Ibadan, his father was a butcher, and while his mother Alhaja Shifau Odee Oshodi Was a trader. He had his early education at Muslim Mission School and the Model School, Mushin, Lagos. He later studied typing and other commercial related classes at Yaba Polytechnic. 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. He worked as a typist for Nigerian Breweries and was later enlisted as a clerk in the Nigerian Army during the Nigeria Civil War. He served in the 10th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Nigerian Army under. Col. Adeniran and fought in Awka, Abagana and Onitsha. On his return from the war, he was posted to the Army Signals Headquarters, Apapa and later to the Army Resettlement Centre, Oshodi. He 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\”. In 1966, Ayinde Barrister 549 Views
