Happy 70th birthday today to King Sunny Adé who was born on 9/22/46. The Nigerian musician/singer/multi-instrumentalist is considered one of the driving forces of modern world music and is a two time Grammy nominee. Sunny Adé’ began his career early on with Moses Olaiya’s Federal Rhythm Dandies, and then went on to form The Green Spots in 1967.In the mid-1970s, Ade was influenced by Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, and Afrobeat bass lines and guitar riffs were soon incorporated into his sound and later his trademark talking drum-driven grooves. A living legend indeed. Watch King Sunny Adé & His African Beats perform live at the Triple Door in Seattle as part of the 25th anniversary of The Best Ambiance on KEXP live in 2009.
