46 years after: How Spud Nathans really died--Manford Best in new book

Manford Best;Today

By Fred Iwenjora;

46 years after; How Spud Nathans really died

* MANFORD BEST, only surviving member of The WINGS and driver of the ill-fated car bares it all in new book

If you are one of those believing in the many tales that have been told about the auto crash that killed one of Nigeria’s legendary sonorous singers and songwriters, guitarists and musicians Jonathan Chukwuemeka Udensi better known to many as Spud Nathans who until his death, was the lead singer and one of the four directors of foremost Nigerian pop music group The Wings, then think again.

This is because most of these tales border on speculations and hearsay.

That accident in the early harmattan morning of December 28, 1974 which occurred at Azara Obiato village on the Onitsha- Owerri express way just a few miles past the then notorious Njaba river bridge in present day Imo state also incapacitated and later killed another director of the band, the talented guitarist; Okey Uwakwe who never really recovered from injuries sustained during the mishap and died about three years later.

That same accident also killed The Wings, the promising Nigerian rock band which had become a toast of music lovers across Nigeria and as far as the West African sub region including the Cameroons with three hot singles and an album considered best selling by EMI, their recording company.

The major news of that fateful day had it that all members of the Wings died in the crash. But indeed there was a survivor who emerged from the rubble and carnage of the somersaulted Toyota saloon car with registration number RPA 2749; the owner and driver of the ill-fated car, singer, drummer and guitarist of the Wings; Manford Best Nnamdi Okaro who tells it all in a new book.

Best’s new book; History of The WINGS….a foremost Nigerian pop group of the 70s published by Book- Konzult  promises to be a sure best seller in its own right dealing with a period in Nigerian music.

It also definitely corrects the wrong impression of the rumor mill which went gaga with the tale that he (Best) intentionally killed his roommate, friend and colleague Spud Nathans.

FRED IWENJORA reviews the book.

Being the driver of the car that killed your bosom friend and band mate can be unsettling and must forever be an unforgettable and haunting experience for anyone despite that it is an accident.

It is only when you imagine the heavy feeling of guilt as juxtaposed with the accusation by some close associates that the driver of the ill fated car caused the accident intentionally having escaped with minor injuries that one can then understand the amount of trauma engraved in the heart and mind of Manford Best as he writes.

The reader can also feel his enormous pulse of gratitude to God for being alive to tell the authentic story of the meteoric rise and fall of The Wings despite the bad blood so generated by the accident. He sees it as a “divine” arrangement.

It won’t be out of place to say that the book; History of The Wings by Manford Best exposes the story telling talents of the author and highlights his organizational skills as he made an exemplary summary of the chronology of the life of the band from its formation as Biafra Airforce Wings in 1968, its remobilization as the Wings International Band in 1970 and to its tragic end in 1974 after the accident.

It also throws much light on the reformation of the band excluding him, the split into two factions and final disintegration in 1981.

A completely detailed diary of events is set in an appendix of the 258 -page book for easy summary.

Manford Best who turned 73 years this year starts by dedicating the book to the memory of his colleagues and fellow band members/Directors of Wings International namely; rhythm guitarist, extra talented singer and song writer Spud Nathans Chukwuemeka Udensi who died on the spot in the tragic ghastly accident, the gifted rock guitarist Okechukwu Uwakwe who died a few years after from the fatal injuries sustained in that accident and bassist Arinze Okpala who died much later of natural causes. “It is an honor to be part of these fallen heroes” he notes.

He also acknowledges Chief Stanley Mezue for mooting the idea to tell the tale, his brother Chief Engr. James Okaro for advice on deleting inappropriate content. Prof Okpi Sunday Kalu is also hailed for core editing and proof reading while Mike Ekunno, Nnabuike Okaro and Agwa Manford are also acknowledged for one role or the other.

A well articulated foreword by Dr Anyauba Nmaju sets the reader directly into what the 21 chaptered book addresses which is that the writer took great pain to paint vividly the picture of what transpired during the reign of the band by giving a day by day, year by year account where possible. Anyauba writes “..Manford has been unsettled since that road mishap that claimed the lives of his indispensible colleagues..because of the rumors  making the rounds that the accident was caused intentionally…he has been persuaded to break his silence…to tell his own side of the story for posterity”.

The author gives a vital explanation that writing the book was a “response to divine necessity” having “turned down all interview requests by inquisitive journalists as the story had to be told at a time destined by God from the horse’s mouth to lay to rest all speculations about what happened and how it all happened… It remains a mystery of sorts why the story chose me to tell it. It is undoubtedly the Lords doing”

The circumstances that led him to becoming a drummer and later joining the Biafran Airforce Wings, the entertainment group of the Biafran Airforce is laid bare.

More light is thrown on the original members of the pop section of the BAF Wings band which later metamorphosed into The wings namely; Dream Lovell (Dan Ian);  lead guitar, Gab Zani; lead vocals, Spud Nathans; rhythm guitar, Arinze Okpala;  bass guitar, Frank Moses Nwandu; manager, Manford Best; Drums

He continues with the events of the end of the civil war and the disbandment of the Airforce band due to the death of Biafra and how some of the members regrouped to become The Wings.

The other chapters contain the various eras of the group including the early days at Enugu where singer and lead guitarist Dream Lovel (Dan Ian Mbaezue ) and first rated vocalist Gab Ozoani (GabZani) unexpectedly moved on leaving the trio of Spud, Arinze and Best. Their times with the army at 33 Brigade, Maiduguri and 12 Brigade Aba are all well captured which are pointers that an era existed when the Nigeria Army was the main supporter and sponsor of Nigerian music.

A chapter is devoted to the immense song writing talents and recording techniques of the members of the Wings and the inspiration behind them with some of the lyrics of the popular songs published.

The reader is also launched into the music business and the intricate management format of a band.

With the book, the reader also learns that in the few years the band existed, it was excitement all the way for members as there were no dull moments.

Tours were part of it as the most memorable was the bands tour of Cameroonian big cities of Victoria (Limbe) Tiko, Douala and Kumba and a return to northern Nigeria including Maiduguri, their former base.

According to Manford Best, December 1974 was a great month for the band as they were fully booked. However he also notes that it was the big signal to the end of the band. The band had executed several of the musical performance contracts of the end of year and was at the verge of performing at an engagement at the Shell Club Port Harcourt before the tragic accident which saw everything spiraling downhill.

The author would easily elicit tears in the eyes of the reader as he recounts the events immediately before and after the accident and how it felt to be left alone with one dead friend and a gravely injured other in a proverbial wilderness on a chilly and hazy December morning.

He gave a blow by blow account of the ordeal of moving his late (Spud) colleague to the morgue and the injured (Okey) from one hospital to another till he finally was admitted into UNTH Enugu on that single day.

Details of the paranoia caused by the many problems including false accusations of having caused the accident intentionally to kill Spud by some of his close friends in concert with Spud’s family despite that they had known each other for a long time before then,  his purported expulsion from a band/ company he co-founded by those who were not part of its formation and the many ever multiplying bills coupled with the anxiety over the outcome of the 4 counts of charge against him by the state in a case which lasted 32 months are well captured.

One thing that the author did not fail to acknowledge openly in the book is the inspiration that Dan Ian of the Wrinkars Experience fame had on Nigeria’s pop music history by his drive to write personal songs of his own and not the regular copyright materials they were tucked deep into.

He noted that Ian was the one who in those early years encouraged his colleagues to stop repeating the songs of James Brown, Temptations and others.

 According to him, Dan Ian “remained the most experienced member of the band especially in the tuning of the guitar and song writing…sincerely speaking I doubt if any of us could have easily joined the long list of composers earlier if not for Dan’s persuasive influence.”

The stories of the split and factionalisation of the Wings into Original and Super and details of the bitter rivalry that pitched him in competition against his co- founding colleague Arinze Okpala in concert with others whom he claimed  encouraged him to reform the band without him (Best) also gets the author’s full treatment.

The gist behind the two factions recording tribute albums for Spud Nathans will also interest the reader.

However the highlight of the book is the section where he eulogised his colleagues in the Eulogy Page. He gave a brief but detailed introduction and biography of his three other friends, directors and band mates in glowing terms. He also talked positively about the contributions of the non directors of the band including talented keyboard player Pius Dellin Ossai and road manager, singer and percussionist Charles Terry Jackson Alumona.

A reviewer may re-title Manford Best’s book to be the travails and triumphs or the Autobiography of Manford Best from age 19 to 34 years and get away with it. This is because the book trails his life before he went to study Management at Connaught College, Bath, England and also tells much about the influence of his mother in his life.

It also lays bare, the author’s strength and character of courage, bravery and tenacity in always fighting for his rights no matter the hurdles. And indeed there were many hurdles. Again it also shines light on his big trust in God, his character of remembering every single favor or ill treatment and of course his forgiving spirit in all things. 

In the book; History of The WINGS….a foremost Nigerian pop group of the 70s by Manford Best, the author has indeed set a pace expected of Nigeria’s music pioneers, icons and showbiz heroes. Imagine if Late Bobby Benson, Osita Osadebe, Oliver D’ Coque and a host of other Nigerian fallen entertainers had written down their memoirs. Imagine if Shina Peters, TuBaba, D Banj, Don Jazzy and a long host of others will tell their stories; valuable information may have been passed down for a better future for music culture in Nigeria. It challenges showbiz journalists and entertainment communicators to also venture to help artistes who may want to tell their stories but don’t know how and where to start.   

History of The Wings…a foremost Nigerian pop group of the 70s by Manford Best is beyond doubt a thrilling read for anyone who wishes to know a bit more about an era in Nigeria music history as he makes mention of his many encounters with top musicians of the period across the country including and not limited to Fela, Harry Mosco, and Jake Solo of the Funkees, Laolu Akins of BLO, Bongs Ikwue, Tony Grey (Ozimba), Sonny Okosuns (Ozzidi), Goddy Oku (Hygrades),  Emma Ikediashi of Celestine Ukwu band, Nelly Uchendu and a long host of others. Rare memorable photos from the author’s personal library also dot the pages. Getting a copy will indeed be worth your while.