Babatunde Olatunji

Babatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist. He was born in 1927 in the village of Ajido, near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern Nigeria. He was introduced to traditional African music at an early age by his grandmother and a great-grandmother who were priestesses of the Vodun and Ogu religions. He was also groomed to become a chieftain, but he decided to pursue his education instead. He received a Rotary scholarship in 1950 and went to the United States to study at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he became friends with Martin Luther King Jr. He later studied public administration at New York University and started a percussion group to perform African music. He was signed by Columbia Records in 1958 and released his first album, Drums of Passion, in 1959. The album became a major hit and introduced many Americans to world music. He collaborated with many artists, such as John Coltrane, Carlos Santana, Mickey Hart, and Stevie Wonder. He also composed music for Broadway and Hollywood, and received a Grammy nomination in 1998. Olatunji was also a pioneer of social activism and civil rights in the US. He protested against racial segregation on public buses in the south, participated in the March on Washington in 1963, and supported the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. He founded the Olatunji Center of African Culture in Harlem, New York, where he taught drumming and African culture to thousands of students. He also lectured at many universities and institutions, such as the Esalen Institute, where he developed the concept of "rhythmic entrainment". He died in 2003 in Salinas, California, from complications of diabetes. He was 75 years old. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in African music and culture.