Legendary Nigerian musician, Peter King Adeyoyin Osubu, popularly known by his stage name “Peter King”, is dead.
Also called PK, the veteran musician and instrumentalist, died on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, aged 84 years.
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Seun Olota in a tribute on his Facebook page on Wednesday, wrote: “A soulful bow out from the building as Peter King Adedoyin Osubu (A.K.A Peter King, PK) bids us farewell. (1939 – Aug. 29, 2023).
How I joined his several sessions from his walking into my personal warm up routine at Unilag while on a visit to drop an invite for Prof. Abayomi Barber for his 2002 Palmwine Vendor album is another story.
We remember his work ethics, his never tiring self, the provocation from an offered appointment to lecture in an under-equiped university that he turned down on returning to Nigeria and led to starting the PK College of Music, the rehearsal sessions, the sound-checks like the show proper that stretched into the performance time leaving the musicians to forget about the planned rest before the main performance, his sanctity for and respect for time, his starting at the dot-scheduled time even if only one person was seated and the playing till the last audience even if it was one soul seated, scoring of the music and adjusting the parts at different rehearsals even before hitting the stage, the dishing out of parts and music scores to session men among others.
Aside the music, the records are straight of the old and new generation of musicians on the scene today that learnt under PK; through his band, school and or materials that were sold at give away prices.
If nothing was learnt from PK, giving freely was learnt as he practiced it and once told me, in a deliberate husky voice that rang in my head till date and always and eventually became my mantra – “you must give! Freely were you given and freely you must give.” Then with a stern look, “henh. You must give!”
Adieu PK, the machine body
Rest well PK, the maker of men
Stick-by PK, the music education advocate
Sit back PK, the teacher of teachers
Sail sweet PK, the apostle of free giving
Blow soulfully PK, the maker of makers.
Your repute
Our salute
My tribute
Adieu!!!”
Peter King was born in Enugu State, South eastern Nigeria, in 1938 but was raised in Lokoja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.
He had an interest in music from childhood, and in 1957, in Ibadan, he joined the Roy Chicago band, playing the maracas and then the conga drum. He later moved to other bands in Ibadan, Oyo state, and then Lagos, playing the double bass, drums, and alto sax.
Peter King, played famous classics such as “Sincerely”, “Just Because,” and “We Belong Together.” The skillful alto saxophonist who played a combination of Afrobeat and jazz, is perhaps more prominent in Europe and America than in Nigeria for his “Miliki Sound”.
In 1961, he moved to London, England, where he studied at various music schools, including Trinity College of Music.
While in London, Peter King linked up with a drummer named Bayo Martins and a trumpeter called Mike Falana to create a group known as the “African Messengers” group.
The group performed at festivals and clubs while serving as the backup band for acts such as The Four Tops, Diana Ross, and The Temptations. The African Messengers also recorded many 45rpm records. Their song- “Highlife Piccadilly”, a fusion of Highlife and jazz, became a hit.
Peter King went on to form another band called “The Blues Builders”, with which he toured Europe and Northern Africa.
Then he returned to his home country, Nigeria, in 1969, and together with his group called The Voice of Africa, he performed on the war front during the Nigerian Civil War. Returning to London in 1971, the veteran toured Europe, America, and Japan with a new group called “Shango”.
Peter King founded his School of Music in 1982 in a three-room building in Maza Maza. In the beginning, it had about 30 students, though since then has expanded greatly and is now situated in Oku Afo, Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria.
