photo courtesy of anne@after-science.com Babatunde Olatunji was born 1927 in the small village of Ajido,
Nigeria . About forty miles from Lagos, the capital of the country, this small fishing and trading town amplified the ebb and flow of the seasons through the sounds of drumming that echoed through the nights. As a child, Olatunji accompanied his great aunt Tanyin to hear the drums - hollowed out from trees and covered with the skin of goats - punctuate the lives of his people. The drummers celebrated every occasion, proclaimed the coming of local politicians, evoked the dreams and aspirations of their people. The drumbeat of his childhood became the life blood of his adult experience as Olatunji grew and traveled throughout the world popularizing the music of his Yoruban heritage. Ever resourceful, in the late'40s, Olatunji read in
Reader's Digest about the
Rotary International Foundation scholarships offered to youths from war-affected countries. By 1950, Olatunji and his cousin were each awarded a scholarship and were on their way to America. In 1954, after graduating from
Moorehouse College in
Atlanta , Olatunji moved to
New York to begin a political science postgraduate program at
New York University . To cover his expenses he started a small drumming and dance group. Recognizing the influence of African polyrhythms in jazz, some of Olatunji's earliest fans were the jazz greats of the time; men like
John Coltrane ,
Yusef Lateef ,
Clark Terry , George Duvivier, not to mention the legendary noted Columbia A&R; man
John Hammond who produced Olatunji's first album. Even
Dr. Martin Luthor King, Jr. , (also a Moorehouse graduate) invited Olatunji to tour with him.
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