Oliver De Coque, Nigeria’s legendary highlife musician if alive was to have celebrated his 74th birthday today.
Sadly, Oliver Sunday Akannite who was born in 1947 in Ezinifite, Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria is no longer with us. He died on 20th June 2008.
However, his music legacies still linger in the hearts and mouths of many. His guitar prowess is unforgotten. This is why Google is celebrating and honouring De Coque, one of the leading lights in contemporary Igbo popular music with a well-deserved doodle. The doodle was illustrated by Nigerian visual artist and illustrator Ohab TBJ.
De Coque first took up the guitar at the age of 11. He was taught to play the guitar by Piccolo, a Congolese guitarist living in Nigeria. As a teenager, studied the traditional Igbo music of the region and Congolese soukous.
In 1970, at a performance by the popular Sunny Agaga and his Lucky Star Band, De Coque convinced Sunny to let him stand in as their guitarist; he was hired on the spot, providing a massive boost to his young career.
Also a skilled player of the Nigerian board game okwe, he became known as “Oliver de ka Okwe,” which he later adapted into his stage name, Oliver de Coque.
