Awe Olufunso: Ayinla Omowura The Apala Genius, Can You Still Remember Him?

Monday, 15 November 2021

Ayinla Omowura The Apala Genius, Can You Still Remember Him?

Ayinla Omowura Omi Tuntun Tiru Album

Most of the time when people hear the beat called Apala, the name that comes to mind is that of the late musical genius, Ayinla Waheed Gbogbolowo, AKA, Ayinla Omowura.

Although his fame was short-lived, for he died at a young age, he was and is still respected for his achievement in music. 2021 makes it 41years since the music legend passed away, it is only right that we bring ourselves to the remembrance of who he was, and his impact.

Ayinla Omowura was born in the 30s, most historians say he was born in the year 1933, but the exact date is not yet clear to the public. According to oral history, he was born to a father who was a goldsmith, but was also rumoured to be a Sakara musician and his mother was a trader.

Alhaji Ayinla Omowura

His childhood is not available to the public, it was perceived that he lived a very private life, this is why most of his childhood stories are not available.

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Ayinla's music life came with a lot of rumours, battles, and rivals, yet he made an impact in the industry.

Memorial Band Album Release

Starting from his nickname, many people thought it was a way for him to boast about his musical skills, but from sources related to the legend, Omowura was a coin of his mother's name, which was Wura, then to acclaim it more to himself he included Omo, thereby forming the name Omo-Wura.

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Ayinla started from the bottom as most famous musicians did, he was a backup singer for some musicians, especially one called Osho, he was located at Igbo-ore back then. This was Ayinla's status before he joined a musical band founded by Adewole the traditional drummer.

Ayinla Omowura Egbo Tuntun Album volume 14

Joining Adewole's band was a good decision for him as he was the lead singer in the group, he had the opportunity to exhibit his voice which he did effortlessly. There were so many achievements he and the band made, together, they released 22LPs (a long-play album, which is mostly 4-6 songs long per LP). Their fame spread like wildfire as most audiences in South-West Nigeria loved their songs.

Ayinla being the lead vocalist got more fame from the job than any of the team members, he was recognized for his signature tune that kept people dancing at every party, his lyrics were also of great quality that soothes both the young and old, there was no one that could be compared to him back then.

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AyibAy Omowura Owo Tuntun Album

Ayinla Omowura's death could be seen as "one death too many", no one saw it coming, except after his death when those closest to him said he had foreseen his death. Even with this information, no one expected the icon to pass away, so quick, and young. Ayinla died at the age of 47, on the 6th of May in the year 1980. He was said to have been involved in a fight with his Manager (Bayewu), who was a childhood friend, he died from the effect of a hit on his head by a bottle.

The news came as a shock to many, especially to his band members, it was a very sad incident. No one would think his close friend would betray him in such away. Although Bayewu was sentenced to death by the Nigerian government, it did not fix the heartbreak or holes his death left in the hearts of his family, friends, colleagues and fans.