Ayub Ogada's Biography, Age, Spouse, Tribe, Real Name, Networth , Songs and Lifestyle Wikidata | Claim this profile

Ayub Ogada's Biography in Summary

Ayub Ogada was born in 1956 in Mombasa, Kenya. He is a descendant of the Luo people of western Kenya, and his parents, both musicians, influenced him with their musical heritage. They performed Luo music for Kenyan and American audiences. Ayub's experience travelling to the United States with his parents, as well as his exposure to both Western and African cultures, had a significant impact on his music and outlook.

Ayub embraced both traditional and modern music while attending school in Kenya, where he played various instruments in bands. After leaving school in 1979, he co-founded the African Heritage Band, which fused traditional music with the rock and soul sounds that Ogada and his bandmates heard on the radio on a regular basis.

Ayub set his sights on the United Kingdom in 1986, arriving in London with his Luo nyatiti (an eight-string traditional lyre). He made a living by busking on the city streets and the London Underground. In 1988, he was approached and invited to perform at Peter Gabriel's WOMAD festival in Cornwall. His breakthrough happened there. Perhaps a band cancelled, and Ayub's ten-minute slot turned into a full set. Peter Gabriel was one of the many fans who were won over that day.

Ayub was invited to participate in one of the'recording weeks' at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Wiltshire. In 1993, he recorded his debut album En Mana Kuoyo (Just Sand) in the studio and toured extensively with Peter Gabriel and WOMAD.

Ayub's music appears on the soundtracks of films such as 'I Dreamed of Africa' (2000), 'The Constant Gardener' (2005), and 'Samsara' (2011). His music was also featured on the soundtrack for Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman's BBC series Long Way Round and Long Way Down.

Ayub has also acted under his birth name, Job Seda. He played Robert Redford's Masaii warrior sidekick in Out of Africa (1985) and also appeared in The Kitchen Toto (1987).

In July 2005, Ayub Ogada and his band, Union Nowhere, opened for the Live 8 concert, Eden Project. They released the album Tanguru in 2007, the year Ayub returned to Kenya.

 

Trevor Warren, an English musician, paid Ayub a visit in Kenya in 2012. They collaborated with Kenyan musician and engineer Isaac Gem to create and record the album Kodhi (which means seed in Luo).

Kodhi was released on April 20, 2015 by Long Tale Recordings.