From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
King Sunny Adé
King Sunny Ade.jpg
Background information
Birth name Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye
Born 22 September 1946 (age 76)
Ondo, Southern Region, British Nigeria (now Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria)
Genres Jùjú, African pop
Occupation(s) Singer, musician
Years active 1960s–present
Labels Island Records, Sunny Alade, I.R.S., Provogue, African Songs, Sigma Park, Master Disk
Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye MFR (born 22 September 1946), known professionally as King Sunny Adé, is a Nigerian jùjú singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.[1] He is regarded as one of the first African pop musicians to gain international success, and has been called one of the most influential musicians of all time.[2][page needed]
Sunny Adé formed his own backing band in 1967,[3] eventually known as his African Beats. After achieving national success in Nigeria during the 1970s and founding his own independent label, Sunny Adé signed to Island Records in 1982 and achieved international success with the albums Juju Music (1982) and Synchro System (1983); the latter garnered him a Grammy nomination, a first for a Nigerian artist. His 1998 album Odu also garnered a Grammy nomination. Sunny Adé currently serves as chairperson of the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria.
