Celebration Of A Legend As Ebenezer Obey Still Rocks At 75

Ebenezer Obey was born on 3rd April 1942, as Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Obey-Fabiyi in Idogo, Nigeria. Obey is of an Egba–Yoruba ethnic background. He is of the Owu subgroup of the Egba.

Ebenezer Obey is a Nigerian jùjú musician nicknamed the “Chief Commander”, He has threaded the path of greatness by creating indellible marks of evergreen songs like “Olomi Gbo Temi”,*Esa Ma Miliki,”Ore Mi, Ese Pele Pele”, and so much more.

Obey married Juliana Olaide Olufade in 1963. His wife, known as Lady Evangelist Juliana Obey-Fabiyi, died at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital on 23 August 2011, aged 67. They have several children and grand children.

He began his professional career in the mid-1950s after moving to Lagos. After tutelage under Fatai Rolling-Dollar’s band, he formed a band called The International Brothers in 1964, playing highlife–jùjú fusion.

The band later metamorphosed into Inter-Reformers in the early-1970s, with a long list of Juju album hits on the West African Decca musical label.

Obey began experimenting with Yoruba percussion style and expanding on the band by adding more drum kits, guitars and talking drums. Obey’s musical strengths lie in weaving intricate Yoruba axioms into dance-floor compositions.

As is characteristic of Nigerian Yoruba social-circle music, the Inter-Reformers band excel in praise-singing for rich Nigerian socialites and business tycoons. Obey, however, is also renowned for Christian spiritual themes in his music and has since the early-1990s retired into Nigerian gospel music ministry.

We wish him many more fulfilling years to come.