W e continue with the special series on Chief Sir Romanus Nwaementa Okonkwo,
founder Rogers All stars music
 |
| Chief Sir R.N Okonkwo better known as Rogers All stars |
Could you make a long
list of your catalogue of albums?
It would be very
difficult to count our albums because they are numerous
We have recorded over 200
albums of different artistes from Nigeria and the entire West Africa. There are
even several of the albums that were recorded without making it after release
while some others may not have been released at all.
We had a lot of
musicians both local and international on our label with several catalogues.
There are some that were not recognized; there are artistes when they come we
take them to the studio to start their albums but along the line we discover
that the person is not talented to do that work, we stop there and advise the
artist to go to school because not everybody will be super stars. If I see the
born artiste, I would know.
However, music business
in Nigeria started changing in the 1994 as no one does records these days
but CDs and online. We have not stopped because several of our catalogues are
still selling while our studios are still wide open for those who want the real
sound.
Having been in this
business and scored several hits after another, how do you know a great
artiste?
I listen to the message
and I listen to the voice very well. The rhythm is our work to create. We also
take note of the artiste and his art, stature and physique to see if it is
sellable. We also check out the number of tracks you have to make an album and
give the listeners variety. Nowadays young people go to the studio to record a
track and pay radio station to play the track. When you start looking for the
album you would not see. The quality may also be very poor. So many artistes of
these days come together with other twelve artistes to come up with what they
call collabo album. I don’t know what is happening. There seems to be so much
unhealthy competition in the music business now as every one wants to be a
star. You only find just a few unique artistes as every one imitates the other.
You seem to have come a
long way and have the secrets of getting out the best from an artiste. Could
you share these secrets?
When I have an artiste I
know what to do to get the best because I saw the highest standards of artiste
management and the business of it because my music was sold internationally, I
worry these days about what we record these days as sound. It is unfortunate.
People can’t sing; they bark like dogs and people are dancing. In those days,
music was played with discipline and not any how. I gathered much experience in
seven years. I started by buying and selling of records until I decided to
record artistes. I would take my artistes to DECCA, Lagos where we buy records
to record them as Decca also had a big studio where many big artistes from
across Africa were recorded. At that same time I travel regularly to East
Africa to Kenya and Congo and all those places to buy records. I knew Franco
Makiadi, leader of the famous Ok Jazz, Tabu Ley and Rocheroux first hand and
sold their music in Nigeria, They were big artistes from Congo and Zaire known
world wide. Their names still ring in world music.
What informed your
decision to travel far for your kind of music?
I decided to travel out
to source my own market since the moguls as CT Onyekwelu, Right Time and others
had dominated the system, So I reasoned that I needed to carve my own niche So
I started to travel out to get the music from East Africa into Nigeria. I had
direct business dealings with Ok Jazz and most of the music companies of those
countries. I am the first person who started importing Congo music into
Nigeria. I take that credit quote me. I was in my early 20yrs when I started to
import music into this country. There was a factory in Congo producing several
records from that area. I was inspired by the fact most Nigerians listened to
radio stations from that area which infiltrated the entire eastern Nigeria. I
will say very correctly that Congo music influx into Nigeria was made possible
by the wide coverage of their radio stations which reached the east of Nigeria
like it was being played from our backyard.
So I took advantage of
that understanding by traveling to bring these records down here physically.
The fans of such music showed that they were delighted to have them by buying
them fast. A lot of people who even had the means to travel then
were too timid or too afraid to travel far. I took that risk may be because I
was a youngster roaring to go. There was another radio station in
Santa Isabelle, Equatorial Guinea which also penetrated Nigeria. They only
played only Congolese tunes from makosa and soukous which Nigerians enjoyed.
When did you make this
first trip to Congo?
I traveled to
Congo Kinshasa for the first time in 1965, two years after getting freedom from
my master and hustling for a living in music marketing. I went for the passport
and then to the Zaire Embassy in Lagos and they quickly gave me visa. I told
the man who interviewed me that I was going to their country to buy their music
as a dealer. He expressed surprise at my boldness considering my young age at
that time and advised me where to get my ticket. I bought it from Air Sabena
and travelled the next day. I employed a translator who assisted me because I
couldn’t speak French. Most of them spoke English. They took me to Franco
Makiadi, the leader and owner of OK Jazz Orchestra, the very popular band that
ruled the world of Congo music. When I arrived, we set up a meeting at one of
his very expensive hotels in that country. We discussed several business ideas
and I was taken to the record company that manufactured his music as well as
other big musicians and I made my selections of the best; the ones I knew the
fans would love. Do you know that at the moment I landed at Onitsha from that
trip, the lot I had bought finished immediately so I was encouraged and had to
prepare to travel again? It went on like that until the last trip which shook
me to my marrows. It was in 1967 when we were on air and there was an
announcement that the Nigerian Civil war had started.
Watch out for continuation of this interview on
ejigbocitydiary.blogspot.com
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