King Sunny Adé turned 80 on 22 September 2026. More than four decades earlier, he became the first Nigerian musician ever nominated for a Grammy Award.
The nomination came for Synchro System, released by Island Records in 1983, in the category then called Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording. It followed Juju Music, his 1982 international debut on the same label, which introduced juju, the guitar-and-talking-drum music of the Yoruba, to audiences in Europe and North America.
A prince who chose music
Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye was born into a royal family in Ondo State. His family was not happy when he chose music over school; musicians were not considered respectable. He moved to Lagos, played in bands, and by the late 1960s was leading his own group. Over the following decade he became one of the biggest stars in Nigeria, releasing record after record and playing marathon live shows.
The juju sound
Juju is built on interlocking electric guitars, Yoruba talking drums, percussion and call-and-response vocals, often in long, flowing performances where the band plays for hours. Adé expanded it. He added the pedal steel guitar, a sound usually associated with American country music, and synthesisers, and he made his band, the African Beats, bigger than most.
His songs often praise patrons, carry proverbs and moral lessons, and celebrate Yoruba culture. The praise-singing tradition, in which wealthy fans are named in songs and “spray” money on the band, remains central to live juju.
Island Records
After Bob Marley’s death in 1981, Island Records, which had made Marley a global star, looked for another artist from outside the West who could cross over. It signed Adé in 1982. Juju Music, produced by Martin Meissonnier, who brought synthesisers and drum machines into the sound, was praised by critics and sold well for an African album in the West. Synchro System followed, bringing the Grammy nomination.
Adé toured the United States and Europe, playing to audiences who had never heard juju. The label’s hopes that he would become the next Marley did not fully come true, but his success opened doors for African artists in international markets.
Home again
Adé remained a giant in Nigeria. He continued recording and performing, became a respected elder of Nigerian music and founded organisations to support musicians. He has received many honours, including national awards, and is often described as one of Nigeria’s most decorated musicians.
In June 2024 he was among the guests at Davido and Chioma’s traditional wedding in Lagos, a sign of how he is regarded by younger stars.
The legacy
Every Nigerian artist who has since received a Grammy nomination, from Burna Boy to Wizkid to Tems, walks a road Adé opened in 1983. His guitar-driven sound also influenced the African pop that followed, and musicians across the continent studied his band’s arrangements.
He was a prince whose family did not want him to play music. At 80, he is known across Nigeria as King Sunny Adé.
