Calm down, calm down, calm down!! The Wasiu ANIFOWOSE mentioned above was one of Ayinde Barrister contemporaries during the Were/Ajisari era. He actually started playing music in 1956/57 before Ayinde Barrister started in 1958. Sadly this little known seasonal Were singer music career was cut short when he died at a very young age. Barrister later acknowledged him in his volume 6 album titled " Itan Ismailia" thus,
🎵E ye e ma pa Haji Barrister, be se pa Ayinla Wasiu, Kurisiu meje fun e Omo ANIFOWOSE Oga elere..
In those days, there were many Were groups in different parts of Yorubaland, especially in Lagos. The foundational figures among them like Baba Ralia, Talima from Isale Eko, Kawu Aminu, Saka Olaigbade, Sikiru Onisemo, Ajadi Ganiu, Muniru Mayegun aka general captain etc emerged from Lagos Island. These people played Were music when they were young and later crossed over to sakara when they became adult. Ayinla Yekini Agbaje one of Ayinde Barrister half brother also played Were in Masewele area of Mushin. And there was oneTaiye from Aileru.
Other groups of Ajisari were from Mushin area of Lagos, the likes of Taofiki Awoyejo, Raimi Ogidan, Kubura (Mama Rasaki) mother of SAB first son, and there was a gentleman from Ilasamaja, he was simply known as "Omo Ilasamaja" and Wasiu ANIFOWOSE mentioned above. These were Ayinde Barrister contemporaries. Alhaji Jibowu Barrister was the captain of another Were group which Ayinde Barrister joined when he left the Masewele Ajisari group, Jibowu was a composer and did not sing at all. He composed most of SAB songs during his time as a Were singer.
Some Ajisari group later emerged from Ebute metta around 1962/63. They were Alhaji Kollington Ayinla, Aremu Barrister, Amoo Barrister, Delani Oriade, Monsuru Akande (Aileru) Gani Kanisuru, (Surulere) Risi Omo Adeowo (Surulere) etc.
As faith would have it Barrister who was also a seasonal singer later became a professional singer because people loved his songs during the Were periods and he was pressurised by lovers of his music to take up music as a career. With his instantly recognisable sweet voice, he changed the Were music to Fuji bending his melody and lyrics for expressive purposes and he started coming into prominence in the early 70's. While the likes of Saka Olaigbade, Jolly lawa, Kawu Aminu crossed over to Sakara music, Ayinde did not, he created Fuji music and defined it in his album titled Fuji reggae series 2 as the combination of music, consisting of sakara, Apala, JuJu, gudugudu, arrow, possibly highlife. The rest is now history.
By Soa Olaribigbe
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