Search engine giant, Google has honoured late Igbo High Life sensation, Oliver Sunday Akanite, popularly known as Oliver De Coque with a doodle for his posthumous 74th birthday.
Born on April 14 1947, Oliver became one of Africa’s most prolific recording artists
According to him his Wikipedia page, Oliver released his debut album Messiah Messiah in 1977.
Coque had recorded no fewer than 93 albums in his homeland. His dance-inspiring “Ogene” style of Nigerian high life, which blends modern high life and traditional Igbo music, has produced such hits as “People’s Club of Nigeria”,“nempi social club”, “Biri Ka Mbiri,” “Ana Enwe,” “Nnukwu Mmanwu,” and “Identity,” which remained on Radio Nigeria 2’s Top Ten throughout most of 1981.
Playing music since the age of 11, Coque was taught to play the guitar by Piccolo, a Congolese guitarist living in Nigeria.
Serving an apprenticeship with juju stars Sunny Agaga and Jacob Oluwale, he was a star by his late teens.
Oliver is also considered as the most flamboyant Igbo musician.
Attracting international attention with a London performance in 1973, he played on Prince Nico Mbarga’s album Sweet Mother four years later.
Coque was often backed by his brother Eugene’s Igede International Band.
Oliver’s sons Edu de Coque, Safin de Coque and Solar de Coque are also musicians. He died at the age of 61 in 2008.[1] Oliver de coque married four wives and he is a father of twelve children.
He died on June 20, 2008 after a protracted illness.
