Chief William Onyeabor, best known for his timeless record ‘When The Going Is Smooth And Good’, passed away in his Enugu home on January 16th, 2017.
His was one of the most widely known careers of all time, even though the man himself would become reclusive and be unreachable for the 30 years that preceded his death.
Moogmusic.com described him thus: ‘William Onyeabor is shrouded in a fog of rumors and misinformation, making him one of Nigeria’s most fascinating and elusive electro-funk musicians.‘
That wasn’t far from the truth; since becoming ‘born again’ in the mid-’80s, he refused to discuss his music career, choosing to focus on his private life and his thriving flour mill business.
Born in Enugu in 1945, William Onyeabor is said to have studied cinematography in Russia circa the late 60s, returning post civil war to start a film company and later delve into music.
Although his music career took off during the era where Fela’s Afrobeat was the rage, Onyeabor’s peculiar sound stood him apart.
He was ahead of his time in many ways: making use of synthesizers and keyboards- hallmarks of the do-it-yourself mode of making music that would become ubiquitous in the coming decades.
His debut album Crashes In Love was released in 1977 and was followed in each successive year by Atomic Bomb, Crashes In Love (Two), Tomorrow, Body & Soul, Great Lover, Hypertension, Good Name, Anything You Sow.
After the final album in 1985, he became a born again Christian and according to the creed of his new found religion, he ‘forsook all things of the world’.
But the world did not forsake him; several bands in Europe and America held on to his psychedelic sounds and vestiges of the roaring 70s. The most enduring of them is Luaka Bop led by David Byrne. The collective put together a compilation of William Onyeabor’s songs and released ‘Who is William Onyeabor?’ in 2013.
Until his death on Monday, he was a successful businessman whose elusiveness stumped several fans and journalists who have chased him for decades. According to his son Charles, he wasn’t ill; his time simply was up – he went to bed normally and died in his sleep.
For a man whose career was devoid of the pageantry that an icon of his status deserved, perhaps there was no better way for him to go.
Funeral plans would be as announced by the family.
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