In 1963, Queen Elizabeth II appointed a Nigerian juju musician a Member of the Order of the British Empire. I.K. Dairo was honoured for his contribution to music, a rare recognition for an African popular musician at the time. By then he had already transformed juju, the guitar-based music of the Yoruba, into a national sound.
Early life
Isaiah Kehinde Dairo was born around 1930; sources differ on the exact year. His family came from Ijebu-Jesa in the Yoruba region of south-western Nigeria. He worked a range of jobs, including as a barber and labourer, while learning music.
Juju
Juju developed in the 1920s and 1930s in Lagos and other Yoruba towns, combining guitar, percussion and praise singing. It was the music of parties, weddings and celebrations.
The accordion
Dairo changed juju’s sound by adding the accordion and harmonica, along with a wider range of traditional drums, including the talking drum. His band produced a fuller, more melodic sound than earlier juju groups.
The Blue Spots
His group, originally called the Morning Star Orchestra, became the Blue Spots. With them, Dairo released hundreds of records and became one of the most popular musicians in Nigeria.
Lyrics
Dairo’s lyrics drew on Yoruba proverbs and Christian themes, as well as praise for patrons. Spirituality ran through his music, and many of his songs carried moral lessons alongside the dance rhythms.
Star Records
In 1969, Dairo and the apala musician Haruna Ishola founded STAR Records, a Nigerian label, at a time when foreign companies dominated the industry.
Influence
Dairo influenced the next generation of juju stars, including King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey, who built on the sound he developed. Juju eventually displaced highlife as the dominant popular music in Yoruba areas.
Later years
Dairo remained active into the 1990s and toured abroad as world music audiences discovered juju. He died in February 1996.
The talking drum
Dairo gave the talking drum, the dundun, a central place in his band. The drum can imitate the tones of Yoruba speech, so drummers could praise patrons, tease guests and comment on the lyrics. In juju, the talking drum carries a conversation alongside the guitars and voices, and Dairo’s arrangements made that conversation a defining feature of the genre.
Party music
Juju was built for celebrations. Dairo’s band played at weddings, naming ceremonies and society parties for hours, and wealthy hosts paid well to be praised in song. That patronage system shaped the music’s style and kept juju bands busy across Yorubaland.
Juju is now associated with the polished bands of King Sunny Ade. Before that polish came a barber who added an accordion and changed the sound for everyone who followed.
