View source for Victor Olaiya

{{pp|type=semi}}
{{BaseArticle
 | shortdesc = Nigerian singer and songwriter
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name               =  Victor Olaiya {{Verified artist}}
| verified        = yes
| honorific_suffix   = [[Order of the Niger|OON]]
| image              =  
| image_size         = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| background         = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name         = Victor Abimbola Olaiya
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1930|12|31|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Calabar]], Nigeria
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2020|02|12|1930|12|31|df=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Lagos]], Nigeria
| occupation         = Musician, Trumpeter, bandleader, businessman
}}

'''Victor Abimbola Olaiya'''(31 December 1930 – 12 February 2020), also known as '''Dr Victor Olaiya''', was a Nigerian trumpeter who played in the [[highlife]] style. Though famous in Nigeria during the 1950s and early 1960s, Olaiya received little recognition outside his native country.  Alhaji Alade Odunewu of the ''[[Daily Times of Nigeria|Daily Times]]'' called him "The Evil Genius of Highlife."<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.parisdjs.com/index.php/post/Victor-Olaiya-s-All-Stars-Soul-International
 |title=Victor Olaiya's All Stars Soul International
 |publisher=Paris DJs
 |access-date=3 November 2009
 |archive-date=21 August 2021
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821004722/http://www.parisdjs.com/index.php/post/Victor-Olaiya-s-All-Stars-Soul-International
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

==Early life==
Olaiya was born on 31 December 1930,<ref name=emn>{{cite news|title=Highlife Godfather Victor Olaiya celebrates 80 years in grand style as Nigeria showbiz all greats re-emerge in solidarity|url=http://www.emnnews.com/?p=10622|newspaper=EMNNEWS ONLINE|date=19 January 2011}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> in [[Calabar]], [[Cross River State]], the 20th child of a family of 24. His parents, Alfred Omolona Olaiya and Bathsheba Owolabi Motajo, came from Ijesha-Ishu, a town next to Ikole Ekiti, in the present day [[Ekiti State]].<ref name=eghaghe/>

Olaiya came from a very rich family. His father's house, [[Ilojo Bar|Ilọijọ Bar]], stood at 2 Bamgbose Street, [[Lagos Island]], until it was demolished in September 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ktravula.com/2016/09/update-on-the-demolition-of-ilojo-bar/|title=Update on the Demolition of Olaiya House|date=18 September 2016|language=en-US|access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ktravula.com/2016/09/demolishing-history/|title=Demolishing History|date=25 September 2016|language=en-US|access-date=25 September 2016}}</ref>

==Career==
At an early age he learned to play the [[bombardon]] and the [[French horn]]. After leaving school he moved to [[Lagos]], where he passed the school certificate examination in 1951 and was accepted by [[Howard University]], US, to study civil engineering. Olaiya instead pursued a career as a musician, to the disapproval of his parents. He played with the Sammy Akpabot Band, was leader and trumpeter for the Old Lagos City Orchestra and joined the [[Bobby Benson]] Jam Session Orchestra.<ref name=eghaghe>{{cite news
 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrldsrv/blog-additions-1/victor-olaiya---50-years-of-ingenious-highlife-on-stage
 |title=Victor Olaiya: 50 years of ingenious highlife on stage
 |author=Richard Eghaghe
 |newspaper=Daily Independent |via=Worldservice
 |access-date=11 April 2019}}</ref><ref name=thisday>{{cite news
 |url=http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/04/24/20040424plu01.html
 |title=Victor Olaiya: Fela Learnt The Trumpet in My Band
 |newspaper=This Day
 |date=24 April 2004
 |access-date=3 November 2009
 |archive-date=16 May 2005
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050516225749/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/04/24/20040424plu01.html
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

In 1954, Olaiya formed his own band, the Cool Cats, playing popular highlife music. His band was chosen to play at the state ball when [[Queen Elizabeth II]] of the UK visited Nigeria in 1956, and later to play at the state balls when Nigeria became independent in 1960 and when Nigeria became a republic in 1963. On the latter occasion, Olaiya shared the stage with the American jazz musician [[Louis Armstrong]]. During the [[Nigerian Civil War]] of 1967–70, Olaiya was given the rank of a lieutenant colonel (honorary) in the [[Nigerian army]], and his band played for the troops at various locations. The Cool Cats later travelled to the Congo to perform for United Nations troops.

Olaiya renamed his band to the All Stars Band when they played the 1963 [[Prague International Jazz Festival|International Jazz Festival]] in [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref name=eghaghe/>

Olaiya also ran a business that imported and distributed musical instruments and accessories in West Africa, he also established the Stadium Hotel in [[Surulere]].<ref name=thisday/>

Olaiya was bestowed the second rank (officer) of the national [[Order of the Niger]] award.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51633610 Victor Olaiya: Nigeria's 'evil genius' trumpeter who influenced Fela Kuti], BBC, 21 March 2020</ref><ref>[https://www.independent.ng/update-victor-olaiya-veteran-highlife-musician-dies-at-89/ Victor Olaiya, Veteran Highlife Musician Dies At 89], [[Independent Nigeria (Lagos newspaper)|Daily Independent]], 12 Feb 2020</ref> In 1990, he received a fellowship of the Institute of Administrative Management of Nigeria. For a period, he was also president of the Nigerian Union of Musicians.<ref name=eghaghe/>

==Personal life ==
Olaiya had several wives. He had children and grandchildren. One of his daughters, [[Moji Olaiya]], was a [[Nollywood]] actress.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.punchng.com/feature/famous-parents/my-father-was-rejected-when-he-started-singing-moji-victor-olaiyas-daughter/|title=My father does not like acting — Moji, Victor Olaiya's daughter|access-date=26 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122735/http://www.punchng.com/feature/famous-parents/my-father-was-rejected-when-he-started-singing-moji-victor-olaiyas-daughter/|url-status=dead|newspaper=[[The Punch]]}}</ref> He sang with his son Bayode Olaiya.

Olaiya died on 12 February 2020 at the [[Lagos University Teaching Hospital]], at age 89.

==Music==
Olaiya's music bridges between highlife and what would become [[Afrobeat]].

His musical style was influenced by [[James Brown]], with horn parts harmonised in Brown's style, as opposed to the mostly unison lines of Afrobeat. The music includes the swinging percussion of [[Tony Allen (musician)|Tony Allen]], but not the syncopated style that Allen later pioneered.<ref name=exclaim>{{cite magazine
 |url        = http://exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=136&csid2=849&fid1=40282
 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130101012030/http://exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=136&csid2=849&fid1=40282
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 1 January 2013
 |title      = Victor Olaiya, All Star Soul International
 |author     = David Ryshpan
 |magazine  = Exclaim!
 |access-date = 3 November 2009
}}</ref>

Olaiya released an album with Ghanaian highlife musician [[E. T. Mensah]].<ref name=eghaghe/>
Both the drummer Tony Allen and vocalist [[Fela Kuti]] played with Olaiya and went on to achieve individual success.<ref name=exclaim/><ref>{{cite book
 |title=Musicmakers of West Africa
 |author=John Collins
 |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers
 |year=1985
 |isbn=0-89410-075-0
 |page=[https://archive.org/details/musicmakersofwes00coll/page/113 113]
 |url=https://archive.org/details/musicmakersofwes00coll/page/113
 }}</ref>

==Discography==
A partial list of albums:<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://biochem.chem.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~endo/EAOlaiya.html
 |title=Discography of Victor Olaiya
 |publisher=John Beadle
 |access-date=3 November 2009
 |archive-date=2 March 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302091810/http://biochem.chem.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~endo/EAOlaiya.html
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" 
|--
!Date
!Group
!Album
!Format
!Label
|--valign="top"
|Late 1950s/Early 1960s
|Victor Olaiya & his Cool Cats
|''Odale Ore'' b/w ''Mofe Muyon'' 
|10-inch 78
| Badejo's Sound Studios BBA 150
|--valign="top"
|1960s?
|Various Artists
|''Catchy Rhythms from Nigeria – Vol. 2'' 
|10-inch LP
|Philips West Africa [Lagos] P 13401
|--valign="top"
|1961 
|Dr. Victor Olaiya & his All Stars 
|''Olaiya's Victories'' 
|10-inch LP
|Philips [Netherlands] 13403 
|--valign="top"
|Early 1960s 
|Various Artists 
|''Catchy Rhythms From Nigeria – Vol. 3'' 
|(10-inch LP 
|Philips West Africa [Lagos] 13404 
|--valign="top"
|1960s
|Victor Olaiya & his Cool Cats
|''Afro-Rhythm Parade Vol. 2'' 
|7-inch EP
| Philips [Netherlands] 420001
|--valign="top"
|1960s?
|Victor Olaiya & his All Stars
|''Oruku Tiniditindi / Iye Jemila'' 
|7-inch 45
| Philips [Lagos] 303 015
|--valign="top"
|1960s
|Victor Olaiya & his All Stars
|''Pambotoriboto b/w Moonlight Highlife'' 
|7-inch 45
|Philips [Lagos] 382357
 
|--valign="top"
|1960s
|Victor Olaiya & his All Stars
|''Feso J'aiye / Asian Udo'' 
|7-inch 45
|Philips [Lagos] 382 397 
|--valign="top"
|1960s
|Victor Olaiya & his All Stars
|''Kosowo Lode'' b/w ''Ewelewekuewele'' 
|7-inch 45
| Philips [Lagos] 382739
|--valign="top"
|1960s
|Victor Olaiya & his All Stars
|''Afro-Rhythm Parade Vol. 7'' 
|7-inch EP
| Philips [Lagos] 420014
|--valign="top"
|Late 1960s?
|Various Artists
|''West Africa's Big Sound'' 
|7-inch EP 
|Philips [Lagos] 420023 PE
|--valign="top"
|1982 
|Dr. Victor Olaiya
|''In the Sixties'' 
|LP
| Polydor [Lagos] POLP 066
|--valign="top"
|1982
|Dr. Victor Olaiya
|''Highlife Reincaration''
|LP
| Polydor [Lagos] POLP 073
|--valign="top"
|1983
|Dr. Victor Olaiya
|''Ilu Le O (Country Hard 0!)''
|LP
| Polydor [Lagos] POLP 096
|--valign="top"
|1983
|Various Artists
|''African Music'' 
|LP
| Vertigo [Netherlands] 814 480-1
|--valign="top"
|1983
|E.T. Mensah & Dr. Victor Olaiya 
|''Highlife Giants of Africa Vol. 1'' 
|LP
| Polydor [Lagos] POLP 102
|--valign="top"
|1986
|Dr. Victor Olaiya
|''Papingo Davalaya'' 
|LP
| Polydor [Lagos] POLP 156
|--valign="top"
|2001? 
|Dr. Victor Olaiya 
|''The Best of Dr. Victor Olaiya – 3 Decades of Highlife'' 
|CD
| Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD003 
|--valign="top"
|2003? 
|Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya 
|''Highlife in The 80's'' – <br />''The Best of Dr. Victor Olaiya'' <br />''Vol. 2 – Evil Genius of Highlife'' 
|CD
| Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD007 
|--valign="top"
|2002?
|Various Artists
|''High Life Kings Vol. 1'' 
|CD
| Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD 01
|--valign="top"
|2002?
|Various Artists
|''High Life Kings Vol. 2'' 
|CD
| Premier Music [Lagos] KMCD 02
|--valign="top"
|2003
|Various Artists
|''[[The Rough Guide to Highlife (2003 album)|The Rough Guide to Highlife]]''
|CD
|[[World Music Network]] [UK]
|--valign="top"
|2003?
|Various Artists
|''The Kings of Highlife'' 
|CD
| Wrasse Records [UK] WRASS 097
|--valign="top"
|2005
|Victor Olaiya & his International All Stars <br />/ St. Augustine
|''Let Yourself Go/There Was a Time / Papa de Love'' 
|7-inch45
| [[Soundway Records]] [UK] SNDW 7002
|--valign="top"
|2009
|Victor Olaiya's All Stars Soul International 
|''Victor Olaiya's All Stars Soul International''
|CD
|Vampisoul [Spain] VAMPI 107)
|--valign="top"
|2012
|Various Artists
|''[[The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa]]''
|CD
|World Music Network [UK] RGNET 1270
|}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book
 |year=1964
 |publisher=Sankey Print Works
 |title=The Victor Olaiya Story
 |author=H. Olufela Davies}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite web
 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmh4XqfEz5Q
 |title=Dr. Victor Olaiya – Ai Ga Na / Omolanke (audio)
 |publisher=YouTube
 |access-date=3 November 2009}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}
*{{cite web
 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bANqI17FqM
 |title=Dr. Victor Olaiya – Omo Pupa / Owo Ko Ni'fe (Audio)
 |publisher=YouTube
 |access-date=3 November 2009}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olaiya, Victor}}
[[Category:Yoruba musicians]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Calabar]]
[[Category:20th-century Nigerian musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Nigerian musicians]]
[[Category:Yoruba-language Nigerian singers]]
[[Category:People of the Nigerian Civil War]]
[[Category:Nigerian hoteliers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Lagos]]
[[Category:Nigerian highlife musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Nigerian male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Nigerian male musicians]]
[[Category:Nigerian trumpeters]]
[[Category:Highlife musicians]]