In the first part of the report of the interactive session that I had with Chief Samson Idowu Atolagbe (Chief S I) before he finally relocated from the UK to Nigeria in 2014, published on the occasion of the first anniversary of his passing on in August 2023, I did promise to come back with the concluding part of the encounter.
In the first part, I did report, inter alia, on parts of his life history as told by him. In this concluding part, which coincides with the third anniversary of his passing on, efforts shall be made to touch on what he said and his unfulfilled dream.
According to Chief Atolagbe, after the death of his father in 1947, he managed to leave school in 1952 after obtaining his Primary School Leaving Certificate. He later enrolled as an apprentice tailor. He finished his apprenticeship on 22nd February, 1956. As a result of the death of his father, his mother could not afford to buy him a sewing machine. He later went to Gbongan, from Gbongan to Otan-Ayegbaju, and went back to Gbongan again in 1960. It was from Gbongan that he moved to Ikenne, Remo, Ogun State, and worked at a rubber plantation. He later worked at W. A. Adventist Church, (now Babcock University), Ilishan, Remo as a gardner for the first head of the College, one Mr. Well, from 1962 to 1963.
He later moved back to Ibadan to start work as a baker. There was a hotel near the bakery where he worked. He used to mix flour while on night duty. It was during one of such nights that he observed that a band was playing at the hotel. The name of the band was Ajasco and His Small Light Band. They used to play at Christ bow, Odo Ona, Moore Plantation, Ibadan. One night, Chief S. I. Atolagbe went to meet the band leader and told him that he wanted to join the band. The leader asked him about the musical instruments that he was good on. Chief Atolagbe told him that he was good on Bongo or Agidigbo. He was already playing Agidigbo for Olabode Oṣagunna Band of Ile Owa, Ipoti-Ekiti. Ajasco told him he was going to call him whenever he needed his services. About two months later, Ajasco called him and gave him Bongo to play. He played it well and was finally admitted to the band in September 1963.
In December 1963, Ajasco left Christ Bow, Odo Ona, for Oladeyinde Night Club at Ekotedo, Ibadan. They were playing in the hotel for about one and half years before Dele Ojo’s Band came unto the scene. The band was more popular and experienced than Ajasco’s. Dele Ojo later approached Chief Atolagbe to join his Band, and he did. He was with Dele Ojo until 1965 during which the Band waxed three musical records, one of which was ‘Ara Orun Ara Orun, Iyangba Tere Teregunte, Iyangba’!
Chief S. I. Atolagbe left Dele Ojo’s Band to form his own Band, which he named Holy Rainbow Band in 1965. His first musical show in Ipoti-Ekiti was in January 1966 at the Seventh Day Adventist School, Iwaro, Ipoti-Ekiti. He used to play Agidigbo with the then Ajana Owa, Ipoti-Ekiti, Chief Akodu Babajide. Chief later moved from Ibadan to Lagos in 1966. While in Lagos, he played in many big hotels with the likes of Chief Ebenezer Obey, whom he described as a friend. They used to play together at Empress Hotel and Boundary Hotel, Idi Oro. Chief S. I. released his first record in June 1966. He sang in praise of Chief Oriade Wellington and waxed records such as ‘Orin Ọdun’, ‘Ọjọ nbẹ Loke’, ‘Col. Ayo Ariyo’, ‘J. O. B. Omotoṣo’, ‘Gbọ Olorun Ọba Ogo’, ‘Ogun Parí’, ‘Omo Pupa’, ‘Talobamiri Aya Mi’?, etc
According to Chief S. I., he waxed about 35 musical records in all. He went to London in the year 1979 to buy musical instruments and came back in the year 1980. He finally relocated to London in the year 2000 and was playing music while in London. He teamed up with an established musician, Mayor Sule Agboola, and they were doing fine.
Chief S. I. Atolagbe did not forget to mention the Editorial Board of Ipoti Link, like Bode Agbeleye, Olajubu Oyewole, and a host of others, and thanked them for reaching out to him.
According to Chief, he was given a chieftaincy title in Ilesha in 1967 during the launching of his fans Club. According to him, his firsts include using jazz drums of five pieces as well as waxing of eighteen minutes nonstop record in 1969.
However, during the course of the interview before he left London in 2014, uppermost in his mind was the opportunity to reproduce his old songs with a video recording. Unfortunately, due to one reason or the other, he couldn’t accomplish that dream. I took him up on a number of songs such as ”Ekute Lo Yọ Ẹran Jẹ’. He said it was just an ‘Ẹfẹ’ song. He said he liked to compose songs that had something to do with current affairs, such as Census, Ogun Pari, and other inspirational songs.
Chief Samson Idowu Atolagbe ‘boarded his flight’ into eternity on Tuesday, 23rd August, 2022, at the age of 86. As we mark the third anniversary of his passing on, may his singing soul continue to rest peacefully, Amen!
Put together by:
Caleb Arogundade
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