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| Chief Romanus Nwaementa Okonkwo a.k.a Rogers All Stars |
By Fred Iwenjora
If you are a regular
radio listener driving from Agbor into the Delta state capital of Asaba and
cruising into Onitsha, the commercial nerve center of eastern Nigeria and
fiddling with your car radio or any other radio for that matter, you are likely
to find that all music playing in all these radio stations you stumble upon may
be works produced by R.E Okonkwo sometimes written R. N Okonkwo and marketed by
Rogers All stars Nigeria Limited, one of the most respected indigenous record
companies in Nigeria with a full and running 24 tracks digital and analogue
audio and television recording studios based at Umuokpu, Anambra state.
It is either you are
hearing the world famous hit songs, Sweet Mother delivered by Prince Nico
Mbarga and the Rocafil Jazz or enjoying the jives of African Number one
Zigmatiser Bright Chimezie or rocking to vintage hits from Ghanaian exports
like Sammy Koffi of Okukuseku fame. Aside from that, it could be highlife
kingpins like Goddy Ezike or Late Muddy Ibe or other top highlife icons blaring
from the speakers.
Of course, it could be
the old evergreen hits from Zaire like Franco Makiadi of the famous OK Jazz and
a host of others.
Indeed Rogers All stars
records is unarguably one of the last of them standing of those indigenous
recording companies that propelled Nigeria’s musical heritage still waxing
strong and releasing all its vintage hit albums and not stopping and recording
new ones while others set up at the same time may have gone under.
What makes Chief (Sir)
Romanus Nwaementa Okonkwo, the Managing Director of Rogers All stars a rare
human being is that he was able to set up and still running a very gigantic
business empire of that magnitude with tentacles across the ends of the globe
till date without a secondary school education not to talk about attending any
University anywhere. Yet he is a consummate business genius and a grand master
in business administration who combines his rare knowledge in the management of
men and material for the production of music with its distribution and
marketing, his knowledge of accounting to make sure that his books are all kept
and audited accurately and his business development acumen to project for the
future of his business. He is also a real forecaster of who is a star artiste
whenever he sees one.
In this interview,
Rogers Okonkwo takes us down memory lane on the bits and pieces of his life and
continues to glorify God for all his successes. He also gives an insight into
the expansive world of music recording business and the secret of the company’s
survival over the years amongst other issues. Please enjoy this.
Can you take us down
memory lane about how you started this journey through music production and
marketing?
I served a recording
company. I served Right Time Records. He was the contemporary of CT Onyekwelu
and Niger Phone Records. In those days, there was Araba Records in Lagos. These
were the people who took after the white man and were trained by them; these
were the people who pioneered recording business in Nigeria. The people who
took over from the white man directly; those were the people we served. My
master was Sir Fabian Igbodoukwu who was owner of Right Time Records who showed
me the way. He on his own part served CT Onyekwelu, the big recording mogul of
that era. They both hailed from Nawfia in Eastern Nigeria that is Anambra state
now. It happened that my sister was married to one of the close relations of CT
Onyekwelu and they handed me over to Right Time for internship just immediately
after my First School Leaving Certificate exams. I spent 7 years
with him and was settled to go on my own.
During those years, we
sold all records of great artistes of the era like Rex Lawson, Eddie Okonta,
Celestine Ukwu, Erasmus Januari. From Ghana came the famous Ramblers Dance
Band, Star Gazers etc. In those days every thing was done in a professional
manner. Serving one of the top music dealers in Nigeria at that time exposed me
to a lot as we traveled at will to seek out the best in music. I learnt so much
about music production and marketing in Nigeria at that tender age.
Early recording of music
in Africa were done by the Europeans who brought their equipment down to record
the artistes here in Africa. I recall they were in Ghana to record the Ramblers
and the Star Gazers. I think they came from DECCA London to do these recordings
and went back to distribute them
How did the name Rogers
All stars come about?
Having been sent forth
after serving my master for seven years, it was time for me to take a name and
go on my own. I first toyed with the name; All Stars but there was a clash in
that name so I added Rogers All Stars which linked up with the name I was
already known with. Ok, let me flash back. As one of the boys from Right Time
Records, I used to be a regular DJ about town and took our equipment
to different dances and parties that most parties rocked because Rogers of
Right Time Records was on the musical box. I used to take our equipment to
schools like DMGS, CKC, Onitsha, Bebendof, Adazi and so on whenever
they had funfairs and annual get together or debate. Boys schools invite Girls
schools who arrive with buses with their teachers. There was discipline in
those days. It was well organized weekend shows held on Saturdays. They came to
book with Right Time and it was my lot to go to those shows. We played from the
loud speakers variety of highlife, and blues music like by Skeeter Davis, Jim
Reeves. We also played James Brown, Everly Brothers and it was Rogers on the
sound box, Let me not be seen as boasting, I have heard so much sound and music
in my life time. All kinds. I know sound. And I think that it is because I know
sound that I was able to break through by the Grace of God.
Follow the series on ejigbocitydiary.blogspot.com
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