Background
Bernard Olabinjo Benson was born on 11 April 1922 in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Bernard Olabinjo Benson was born on 11 April 1922 in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
While at secondary school he also learned tailoring, but after leaving school he became a boxer for a brief period, and then a sailor in the Merchant Navy. In 1944, he left his ship in London, where he made his entertainment debut with the Negro ballet, touring several European capitals. Based on the popularity of his music, he formed the Bobby Benson Jam Session, a dance band that played swing, jive, sambas and calypsos.
In the 1950s, he expanded his band to eleven members, including a trumpet section, and began playing in the popular highlife style.
Their first big hit was "Taxi Driver", followed by several others Bobby was an entertainer and a comedian as well as a singer, a great performer.
He had a show on National Tax Association, USA in the 1970s, where he performed as a stand-up comedian and magician as well as playing and singing. He established the Caban Bamboo, a popular nightclub later converted into the Hotel Bobby.
Benson died in Lagos on Saturday, 14 May 1983.
Various prominent musicians started out playing in Benson"s band, including Roy Chicago, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Bayo Martins and Zeal Onyia. Victor Olaiya started as a trumpeter with Bobby Benson"s band, and became one of the first Nigerian musicians to play highlife with his group the "Cool Cats". Another player with Benson"s band who moved into highlife was Eddie Okonta, with his "Lido Band".
Benson"s innovations in musical style also influenced the evolution of popular Jùjú music
"Taxi Driver", his biggest hit, and "Niger Mambo", an African melody with the Latin beat, were covered with different interpretations by American artists such as Stanley Turrentine and Jackie Mclean. Randy Weston covered "Niger Mambo" in a solo performance on his 1978 album "Rhythms-Sounds Piano", describing the piece as representing exactly what is called "high life style" in West Africa.
Bobby also had musical collaborations with the internationally acclaimed and musical legend Eddie Grant who stayed in Lagos. And performed at the Hotel Bobby for many years.
This collaboration which lasted for many years, allow Eddie Grant to be able to acclimatised himself with the Nigerian culture.
Consequentially, Eddie was able to speak Yoruba and Pidgin English and he recorded many successful songs and albums in those languages.
