Born on July 4, 1942, Olujimi Solanke, a native of Ipara Remo, Ogun State, the Baba Agba, African culture ambassador extraordinare, trained at the University of Ibadan School of Drama and began his professional acting career in 1961 as one of the pioneer members of the Orisun Theatre Group founded by Professor Wole Soyinka.
His father, Alfred Tayo, was a chief in Remoland, like his grandfather. Both were Lisa, next person to the paramount ruler of Remoland, reason Jimi’s middle name is Adeboye.
His seven decades as veteran of varied exposures, experiences and impacts in the global entertainment industry resonate in many broadcast stations, countries and festivals.
Sir Jimi Solanke’s epic performances at the Western Nigeria Television, WNTV, Ibadan in the 1960’s; to his stunning presentations and amazing stagecraft in Senegal at the World Festival of Negro Arts and Algeria for the Pan-African Cultural Festival in the 1970s attest his hot passion and theatrical brilliance.
He has featured in great epics like Death and the King’s Horseman, Kurunmi, Kongi’s Harvest, The Divorce and Ovaramwen Nogbaisi, a performance that turned him into an immediate resident of Benin City for five years on royal.
Described in 1970, while on tour of Europe by the Oxford Times, as a “Skilled Nigerian Actor” and by the New York Times as star of an “Excellent Troupe” in the performance of Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Harvest, Baba Agba, as he is fondly called, is recognised as “a better singer than actor”.
Sir Jimi Solanke however sees himself entrenched in both and calls himself an “actor – singer” because “when I sing, I act and when I act, I am musical in delivery.”
For a fact, Jimi Solanke is a consummate quintessential songwriter, actor, performer, visual artist, poet and storyteller extraordinare.
With his booming endowment (Gift of Voice), Baba Agba rings out folktales in enchanting sonorous voice backed with gesticulations and mimicry to pass messages.
He sings at different golden tones passionately. His voice is discerned with enthused acknowledgement. When he dances, his whole body is taken into creative expressions.
Today @80, Sir Jimi Solanke says “my fear with dance is that the bones inside my body are already complaining, so, I dance like an elder”. He selects the songs he sings, chooses roles he played and does not believe in counting them.
He characteristically holds audiences captive in Africa, Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East. He set the Cranston Hall, US on fire in 1977 performance and has toured Nigeria with many global musicians, including Chubby Checker of Twist fame and Millicent Small of Rock Steady.
He was with Ralph MacDonald, the lead voice in the chart buster, Ona La, The Path, the song used a year later to open the famed Apollo Theatre, in New York. “I take my profession, music, theatre, dance, seriously, I interpret roles painstakingly”, he enthused the secret behind his ardor.
Sir Solanke’s foray into musical entertainment blossomed while he was a student at Odogbolu Grammar School, Remo in Ogun State. Together with his friends, he formed a band, Koroba. They turned their steel buckets into musical instruments to perform sundry folk songs.
He wrote songs like Onilegogoro, Ore Titan, Na Today You Come, Khaki No Be Leather, while in secondary school for the then highlife music legend, Roy Akintola Chicago. He often sneaked to Abalabi Nite Club at Olorunsogo in Lagos to sing with Roy Chicago’s Band.
Sir Jimi Solanke also featured in the band of other great highlife veterans, including Eddy Okonta and Chris Ajilo among others.
To his credit, he has popular folk songs like Baba Agba, Bare Ni Joye, Osupa, Oil Boom Palava, Bi A Ba Jeko, Gbangba Kedere Eko, Ojoje, E je Kajo etc.
Sir Jimi Solanke is a highly disciplined, focused and principled entertainer. He is blessed with lovely children and a beautiful wife whom he fondly calls TOY, coined from her name Toyin.
Happy Birthday once again to Baba Agba.
•Miss Esho is the MD, Evergreen Music Company Limited, Lagos.
