It is no longer news that the living legend in music, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey is 81. He clocked 81 last Monday 3rd April, 2023 and he celebrated it in Abeokuta at the Lepers Colony. On Sunday 9th April, he held a Thanksgiving Service at his Lagos church. And then came on Monday 10th April the Resurrection Praise concert which Kenny Jones packaged for him.
Every April, Lagos fashion designer, Kenny Jones and his brother, Taiwo (the drummer) have a way of celebrating the birthday of Evangelist Prof. Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi (MFR), in a very special way.
The twins this time around decided to celebrate the great icon @ 81 with a concert titled Ressurection Praise, on Monday 10th April, 2023. The event took place at the studios of Taiwo & Kenny Jones in Ikeja, Lagos.
They invited a few artistes to come and celebrate with Baba Obey and many of their followers followed Kenny Jones on their social media handles on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
Guest artistes like Emmanuel Edunjobi a.k.a. Emma OMG, Glorious Twins were invited, while Taiwo & Kenny Jones hosted the event.
There were some notable guests like the great veteran broadcaster, Mogaji Kola Olootu, Elder Adegbite, Mr. Shola, the Studio Manager of Kenny Jones Studio, The Publisher of City People, Seye Kehinde, Niyi Odemakinde, Miliki FM, among others.
Emma OMG had a great song ministration, while Kenny Jones and Taiwo Jones joined him along side. Later, Kenny Jones spoke a little about what Evangelist Ebenezer Obey told him years back about how he would make it in life. And when Evangelist Ebenezer Obey entered, he sang for a while on stage.
Mogaji Kola Olootu was on stage to ask Obey Commander some questions about his career.
Below is the questions and answer interview.
I will firstly congratulate you on your 81st birthday. Can you tell us one of the unforgettable day?
My unforgettable day are many and God has done wonders in my life but there is a specific one which I cannot forget at all was the day I gave my life to Christ.
Was it before you started singing or after?
There are two things I want to explain to you. There is a different between a church goer and a beliver; because I was born into a Christian family. I was given birth in the church. So, since I was baby, I have been crawling to the choir stand. I have been a church goer but the most important part is when you accept Jesus Christ as your personally Lord and Saviour, and pronounce him as Lord and saviour. I was baptised and named Ebenezer but I heard God’s calling after I have started singing.
After giving your life to Christ, how has it been?
It has been great, things has been moving forward and smoothly for me. Thereafter, God favour me and wants me t o be an Evangelist after 30 years in music line.
If we are to look into your music all together, it has been about ministring and Evanglism right from start?
Yes, Yoruba adage says “egberun samu kole sa mo Olorun lowo” means “no one can hide from God”. In life, we have 3 different stages. The first stage is the pre-paration period, when God preserved everyone, from age 1 to 2 years. When someone clocked 13 you have become Teenager. So, Gods knows about our earlier life before you repent. All the life style for 12 years and when you become Teenager it well known to God Almighty. All our good and bads deed is well know to him. Then before my new life, I have enjoyed myself in the world. Moreover, that is the reason God gave its all the second chance to repent from your former life style.
Your records are like child to you, which of your record do you have most?
Let me tell a secret today, out of my records, it is “Board Members” and “Ketekete” that has the most sales of all my records.
There is one secret people don’t know about “Board Members”, because the other side of “Board Members”, it is Halleluyah that is there. I was the only one that knows that I am thanking God. God knows that I was praising him, so the record has to be well-known and till now the record is still selling.
Sir, let’s take you back to your childhood days when you started singing, who are those that you are together in your childhood and when you started singing?
I can’t do without remembering my childhood. Friends, many has died and some are still alive but I remember one, he is called “Okanlawon Oshoba” we went to the same school. He is 82 years old now because he is a year older than me. Fatai Irorun was my friend too.
Do you also remember those you started singing with?
Yes, I can still remember them, but many have died.
I can remember some time ago, when we had an interview with Fatai Rolling Dollar, he testify that you both were together back then.
Yes, he was my Boss. Let me tell you something. He was my friend before he became my boss. He used to play one instrument then for J. One Araba. He played one Agidigbo which I can not play because I used to play Agidigbo.
So, I want to play it and Fatia Rolling Dollars played it, I don’t know it, and I was wondering who is this person, I informed one of my bosses that I worked with then that who played this Agidigbo? They mentioned his name to me because I do not know his name as at then. He was passing one day with his Guitar and they called him that I wanted to meet him and I prostrated to greet him. So I told him that he played one Agidigbo which l found difficult to play it and he asked “How many fingers do I use to play Agidigbo I said 4 but he said he is using 5, I use 5. That is the reasons you can’t run the same scale with me. And I was surprised because I used to play Adeolu Agidigbo. So, from there I followed him to his house to teach me how to lay that same Agidigbo. Before we get to where he stays, he was playing and I composed 5 songs. We did some records together thwn he was my boss but I am the composer and he knos that I am the composer.
At that time, the money they gave me at my first outing made me to resigned from my work then because it was half of my salary then. I was given 3 pounds monthly then and the band I played for do give me 1 pounds and 10 chiling, it was a big money then and Rolling Dollar was sacked from work as at that time. So we managed ourselves together.
You have released so many records, why did you decide to stop sing your normal songs and started singing gospel songs?
I did not stop singing nor sing gospel songs, rather I want to be singing evangelism songs to propagate the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, because I have been ordained by the Lord as an Evangelist.
What did Kenny Jones do for you that makes you to give him your blessing?
There is a Yoruba adage that says “ase si le ni a bo wa ba” means “what goes around, comes around”. Kenny Jones and Taiwo Jones are my sons. They are my good sons. What I want to say is that Kenny Jones, he is working as Protocol Member in my church. He is not the HOD and he did the work deligently. Anything he does is always deligent with it. Anytime, I want to travel he will come to my house and package all my clothes and everything perfectly. Later, he brought a cloth for me that he was the one that sew it.
The cloth was neat and perfect on me. So, I tested him with my cloth and I gave a suit I bought abroad and he made another one perfect and more than the one I bought abroad.
Ever since then, he has been sowing my cloth likewise all this wool material. So, I blessed him acoording to word of God. “Arise and Shine”. That what I have been following I rise and shine everyday. One day, I said to him that Kenny Jones you will build house because he had never buy land nor build house. So, I said to him if you build one, you will build more, and more.
What advice will you give to the younger artist of this day?
Yoruba adage says “Aja isihin lo mo eworo isihin lo mo le” what they are saying that is not suitable to our hears is suitable to the hears of the youth of their age. It is their time but what I will tell them is that, they should leave a good life always. They should leave those bad act. They should leave a remarkable life.
– Abiodun Olusola
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