People remember the 70s for different reasons. Some remember it as the time members of the famous English rock band, The Beatles, officially broke up with members going solo. Also, the world had to deal with the loss of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, seven years later. For movie buffs, it brings back memories of the award sweep by “The Godfather” movie at the Academy Awards in 1973 and the 1976 premiere of Charlie’s Angels. For geeks and nerds, they are reminded of the birth of today’s tech giants, Apple and Microsoft.
In Nigeria, that era holds memories of an arts and culture boom, starting with afrobeat and rock band prominence across the country and culminating in the month-long fanfare of FESTAC ’77. The period saw the emergence of Fela Ransome-Kuti as the great Anikulapo, ushering in a different style of delivery for his music with his Afrika 70 band which gave the country hits such as ‘Water No Get Enemy’, ‘Zombie’ and the widely remixed ‘Lady’. As he thrived, so did bands like The Funkees, Semi-Colon, Aba Rock City, The Hykkers, The Lijadu Sisters and Grotto.