Tony Allen

With Fela

Tony Oladipo Allen was born on July 20, 1940 in Lagos and died on April 30, 2020 in Paris, aged 79. Self-taught, he began drumming at 18 while working as a radio engineer for Nigerian national radio. He played claves for Victor Olaiya's Cool Cats and then took the drum chair, and in 1964 joined Fela Kuti's Koola Lobitos after Fela asked how he could be the only man in Nigeria who played like this, jazz and highlife. After a ten-month visit to Los Angeles in 1969 the band became Afrika 70, with Allen as drummer and musical director. Fela reportedly said that without Tony Allen there would be no Afrobeat, and Brian Eno called him perhaps the greatest drummer who ever lived.

He left Fela in 1978 or 1979, the sources differ, and made the solo albums Jealousy (1975), Progress (1977), No Accommodation for Lagos and No Discrimination. In 1984 he moved to London and later Paris. After HomeCooking (2002), where he first worked with Damon Albarn, came Lagos No Shaking (2006), recorded live in Lagos with a full Afrobeat band, and he joined The Good, the Bad and the Queen in 2006. Secret Agent (2009, World Circuit) and Rocket Juice and the Moon (2012, Honest Jon's, with Albarn and Flea) followed. His autobiography, with Michael E. Veal, was published by Duke University Press on September 27, 2013. Albarn called him his number one musical teacher.

The Source (2017) was his first full Blue Note album, recorded all-analog at Midilive near Paris with Vincent Taurelle and Bertrand Fresel producing. Tomorrow Comes the Harvest with Jeff Mills (2018) and Rejoice with Hugh Masekela (March 2020, World Circuit) followed, and There Is No End (2021) came out after his death. The AIM Independent Music Awards gave him a posthumous Outstanding Contribution to Music award on August 12, 2020, where Albarn performed "Go Back" with Femi Koleoso, Simon Tong, Seye Adelekan and Remi Kabaka Jr. Setlist.fm lists about 102 shows, the last on November 29, 2019 at Electric Brixton.