Singer Paul Dairo otherwise called Paul Play is the son of the late juju maestro, I.K. Dairo popularly known as Baba Aladura. He talks about his father’s music legacy in this interview with GBENGA ADENIJI
Can you please give a brief profile of yourself?
My name is Paul Babatunde Dairo, a Christian and Nigerian from Osun State. I am a mechanical engineer, musician and entertainment consultant. I am married with kids and the seventh child of Chief I.K.Dairo.
Did your late dad influence your interest in music being a popular musician himself?
Though my father was one of Nigeria’s music legends, he never influenced my music interest. I would say it was genetically influenced. My father never knew I was into music until my final year in school. I was too afraid to reveal my interest in music to him to avoid being criticised. My dad was a disciplinarian and because he was not educated, he was determined to make sure all his children got educated. Education was more of a thing of pride in his generation.
I was a member of an acapella group in his church, but that didn’t reveal enough of my interest to him. It was my dad’s manager in the US that informed him of my music demo tape. He listened to my rhythm and blues songs and encouraged me to do what I like. But he didn’t put pressure on me. If there was one thing all the children will agree that my dad influenced, it is that we should follow Jesus Christ and become successful. My father took Christianity in his home so seriously that we got caned when we missed Sunday services.
Why don’t you take to juju which is your father’s genre?
I love my father’s music. His vocal range is out of this world. The harmonies that fill his songs are breath- taking. I was with Chief Ebenezer Obey some years back and he talked at length about my dad. There was a time I was on a flight from Abuja to Lagos and almost dreaded sitting next to a top army officer who filled my ears and brain discussing I.K. Dairo’s music dexterity. I read a lot of humbling reviews on his works on international music platforms. Somehow, I felt my father’s shoes were too big and I didn’t want to be compared to him, so I decided to play juju music in my own style by adding elements of pop and rhythm and blues to it. That was the idea in Moshori ire. The moment I realised that the public appreciated my style, I was totally relieved.
What memory of your growing up years with him can you recall?
Growing up years for me was complicated. My dad was hardly around but whenever he was, he would be in church. We used to be happy whenever he was away because we knew we would not be in church. The only threat came from my mum who used to say she would tell him that we didn’t go to church.
One day, he called me and asked me to sit down while he played the guitar. He wrote the lyrics in Yoruba and asked me to translate them into English. I was very excited to do it because that was my first experience in songwriting. I was so happy when the album came out. Till now, none of my siblings know I did the whole translation in the album.
The incident that still lingers in my memory was when one of the church prophets told him to guard me from girls because women would start running after me. My dad started watching me. It was funny because then, I was so shy I could hardly ask a girl out. One day, my dad came home and saw me with a girl that liked me so much. He didn’t utter a word. He just brushed past us and barely answered when we greeted him. Right there, I knew what that meant. I didn’t have to say anything to the girl either. She left immediately.
My dad was a loving father, a disciplinarian yet with a great sense of humour. He was so generous. He would give out cars and money as if it was an addiction. My mum used to complain a lot about his generosity. Our home was more like a government house. We had family, friends and even strangers living with us. People from our neighbourhood came to our place often with one problem or the other. I used to marvel at his humility and generosity.
Considering his busy nature, how did he create time for his family?
Honestly, I wished my dad had spent more time with us. He was a people person. I believe that was God’s purpose for his life. He was always having people around him. They included his elitist friends, the poor, public officers and people from the church. He was a superstar. But we reasoned that since that was the dad life offered us, we needed to bear with him. My dearest mum who I consider the greatest mum in the world was always there to fill the vacuum. Somehow, I developed more love for her. She did so much to make up for his absence. My dad was so simple to the extent that he had no privacy. Sometimes, visitors left our house 1am. The little time dad spent with us was always fun because of his amazing sense of humour. He spoke our local dialect (Ijesha) all the time he was with us. To me, that is the funniest language in Yoruba land.
How often did he take his family out for picnics?
Picnics? No. My dad was a typical Ijesha man. My mum was the one who always took us out. Back then, the interesting places she took us to were Leventis, Super Cinema and Kingsway stores. We went for picnics at the bar beach with our friends. My mum did all that. My dad didn’t have time for picnics.
How did he relax when he was at home?
My dad loved watching movies. We had a 16mm movie projector at home and he used to watch interesting movies on it. The one I remember as his favourite was Farewell to Arms.
I remember the Akai video players. In those days, video recorder machine was a luxury.
Our neighbours used to come around to watch movies such as The Holocaust, 90 minutes at Entebbe and The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin. He hardly did anything without people around him unless he was sleeping.
What values did you imbibe from him?
My dad taught me never to discriminate and never to look down on people. He was a generous man who was down-to-earth and kind. Humility and generosity are the greatest characters I imbibed from him. He was always saying, “Inability to speak out one’s mind is the beginning of bad luck.” That saying stuck with me till today. Even God that knows about our worries charges us to ask before we receive from Him. I always abide by that saying in everything I do. Some people think I’m weird because I’m not afraid to speak. The person that will help to propel one’s plans to success might be beside one. But if one decides to keep quiet or act as if one knows it all, one will be in limbo.
How has his name helped you?
The influence my dad’s name has on my career cannot be overemphasised. The one that really touched me most was the moment I spent with a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon. I performed at an event and after the performance, he asked one of the ushers to call me. He said a lot about how proud he was that I kept my father’s legacy. He is one of my father’s fans.
I am recognised in government circles. The name I.K. Dairo works like magic. I have performed for all Nigerian Presidents since 1999 till date. Although it could have been difficult if I had no talent, but the kind of person my father was also influenced my career. I have met a lot of people in government, captains of industry, professors, technocrats, professionals and people from all walks of life.
A former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana is always talking about my dad every time I see him. Dr. Mike Adenuga has been so good to me like a godfather. He always goes out of his way to support me. I think my father’s name attracted him first before my talent. The late Governor Olusegun Agagu, former Governor Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel are among the leaders who show me so much love because they were I.K. Dairo’s fans. Miss Grace Egbagbe of the Nigerian Television Authority out of the love she has for my dad’s music did a lot to help my career. Mr. Ben Murray Bruce, his brothers and Mr. Seyi Onajide of RT Briscoe have assisted in pushing my career in many ways.
My dad was a good friend of the Esama of Benin. The Igbinedions are good to me because of my dad. There are so many others that have been good to me because of who my dad was. Good name is worth more than gold and silver. I believe that a good name opens doors but without talent or substance, such opportunities will be short-lived. If anybody doubts this, such a person should try to be useless despite having a father with a good name.
What were the values your father held dear?
Christian values are what he held dear. I cannot tell which profession really portrays my dad better; a musician or a pastor. He was a lover of Christ. He was so much into it that preaching crept into his music. He started doing more of praises than the normal secular music. People loved him. Most of his fans started calling him Baba Aladura. When one takes such step in one’s musical career, most people who don’t like the truth or spiritual songs will stop listening. But my dad’s case was different. People still buy and listen to the non religious parts in the album. The Baba Aladura name stuck and he stood his ground on his values.
How did he handle misunderstandings with your mother?
My dad was very liberal and cool-headed man. My mum was a workaholic. She went about her business and took care of us. My parents hardly argued in our presence. But my mum was the one who would talk about such disagreement later. My dad kept their arguments away from us and settled them without our knowledge.
How would you describe your father’s music?
I see him as a complete musician. He was a powerful vocalist, a musician with dexterity in guitar, accordion, talking drums, Akuba drums and percussions. I think his thorough understanding of the rudiments helped in carving his style of a very harmonious and highly rhythmic music. What excites me is his style of melody and harmony which is beyond me.
What do you think made him remarkable?
I performed with him once. When he performed for the King of Ikole Ekiti, I went with him just for fun and he asked me to play the samba drum. My father’s voice did most of the magic for him on stage. The audience jubilated when he played the accordion. His skill on the instrument was superb. That was one of the reasons I shied away from the instrument. He put most of the work in his recordings and it helped him get the attention of his audience with very little effort. Songs like Feso Jaye, Apon ti o laya and Opolopo Director are laced with life realities which engage his fans easily.
Who were your father’s friends?
My father had so many friends. The list is endless. The Esama of Benin; Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Chief Hope Harriman, Chief S.B. Bakare, Gen. Adebayo, late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim and many others.
How did he enforce discipline when any of his children did wrong?
Like I said earlier, my father caned stubbornness out of any of child who misbehaved. He was a strict father. He put all his children in order. I thank God that today, none of us has done anything bad to tarnish his name. In the past, parents used to warn their children not to tarnish their name. Now, children are the ones begging their parents not to tarnish their name.
What was his favourite meal?
Like every Ijesha man, he loved pounded yam and vegetable soup. He also liked ogbono soup known as apon in Yoruba.
Did he have any special mode of dressing?
He always wore buba and sokoto. Once in a while, he wore agbada.
What was his schedule like?
He didn’t have a rigid routine. He rehearsed with his band almost every week. In the evenings, he was always in church at 6pm. When he wanted to release an album, he rehearsed twice a week. He attended meetings once a while but on Sundays, he was in church from 10am till 5pm.
How close were you to him?
We were not very close until I graduated. When I was in school, I hardly went home and he was always on tour or attending party engagements. We became very close few years before he passed on.
How sociable was he?
My dad loved people. He used to go to Island Club and he used to organise shows in Ebute Meta in a hall called Kakadu. His fans usually filled the place every Friday to watch him perform. I remember those days. My mum was a distributor for beverages and beer companies. She used to supply food and drinks every weekend for the club.
Your dad once showed interest in barbing and cloth trading; did he tell you why he abandoned both to focus on music?
He didn’t give any reason. But since he didn’t go to school, he had to go into trading. But he was doing music along his other trades back then. It’s only logical to push other professions to the background when one is thriving.
Where were you when he died in 1996?
I was in my house when my sister came to tell me that our dad had died.
What do you miss most about him?
I miss his great sense of humour, sermons, generosity and selflessness.
How does his family commemorate his death yearly?
We remember him every February in the family house in Lagos. It’s always a family and friends affair. All the children, grandchildren, uncles, aunties and their families come together to mark the remembrance. It’s more like a reunion.
He was humorous in his compositions, was he like that at home?
He was very humorous. I know most Ijesha people are funny. I picked up the funny accent by mimicking him and my uncles. Whenever we travelled home, watching him speak the language with his friends was always fun.
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