One of the things that is said about great people is that they have dreams and goals; they never let other people’s negativity get in their way of pursuing these dreams and goals. Many people would make the list of great people, including Kenyan musician, Ayub Ogada.
He is recognised as one of Africa’s greatest traditional lyre-players. Throughout his career, he travelled the world and sought to reintroduce forgotten traditional music to Kenyans, Africans, and other people of the world. But legendary Ayub Ogada wasn’t always known by this name.
Born sometime in 1956, he was given the name Job Seda. He went to high school in Nairobi a few years after Kenya’s independence and this was the time when the capital’s population and economy was growing. It was subsequently a time when the city’s pop culture scene was starting to thrive.
High school friendships can often be unforgettable, and this was certainly the case for Job when he met Gordon Ominde, Jack Otieno and Ali Nassir. The four shared their passion for music, exploring different global trends and finding their preferences. Eventually, these connections led to the formation of a rock band in the early 70s called Black Savage.
Ask anyone who was into folk rock, funk or R&B back in the day about Black Savage. They will likely tell you how popular the group was in that decade all the way to the early eighties! These music genres inspired the group’s sound, and while their lyrics were in English, their messages created both political and social awareness. Some of their memorable songs include: Fire-Rita, Something for Someone, and Save the Savage.
In 1979, while still with Black Savage, Job (Ayub) took another step in his music career when he decided to work with Alan Donovan of Africa Heritage to form the Africa Heritage Band which brought in Kenyan musicians Jack Odongo, Francis Njoroge, Noel Sanyanafwa, Mbarak Achieng and of course Ayub Ogada… to name a few. This was around the time Job became Ayub Ogada.
By then, Black Savage had broken up but music continued to be a pursuit for Ayub. In 1985 Ayub came across a Nyatiti (lyre instrument) on display for Ksh 3,000. It was one of those familiar instruments which he remembered from his visits upcountry, but not one commonly played. He was drawn to it, so much that he decided to buy it in installments.
It was one thing to buy an instrument he had never played, but another to find an instructor. Luck was on his side when he visited the Bomas of Kenya and found a Nyatiti instructor. It took time and dedication to learn, as well as finances. After six lessons, Ayub could no longer afford the Ksh 100 fee. Undeterred, he took what he’d learned and further taught himself to play the instrument. In this he found the beauty in traditional sound.
Feeling like there was more beyond Kenya for him to harness his music and grow as a Nyatiti player, Ayub did the unlikely. In 1986 he moved to the UK where he would live for the next two decades. A leap of faith it was, but one that placed him on the path intended for him. The first few months overseas were hard. He was a struggling artist though hope and passion never left him. In this time of hardship, he created his most memorable song to date: Kothbiro. Before then, he had never been a vocalist.
Impressed with his song, and determined to make his dreams come true, Ayub grew more intentional about his desire to make his time abroad successful. A year into his time in the UK, he started meeting and connecting with a number of Africans in music whose diversity invited creative ideas for collaboration. In 1988 the WOMAD Festival contacted him to perform at their international festival. This was the turning point in Ayub’s career, and what was to be a 10-minute set ended up being a much longer performance.
The rest as they say is history… but a notable fact is that in 1993 Ayub recorded his first album En Mana Kuoyo, Luo words that translate to ‘just stand’. His song Kothbiro was fine-tuned and in this version, Ayub provides soothing vocals and gracefully plays the Nyatiti. He went on to work with the likes of Fela Kuti, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye and Paul McCartney.
In his later years, illness took hold of him, and in February 2019, Ayub’s soul left the world, but his musical legacy remained.
We end this story by inviting you to celebrate Ayub Ogada’s life through song. Listen to Kothbiro.
