Keziah Jones

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Keziah Jones (born Olufemi Sanyaolu on January 10, 1968 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He describes his unique and definitive musical style as “Blufunk”, which is a fusion between raw blues elements and hard, edgy funk rhythms. Also his Nigerian roots and soul music can be considered a major influence on his sound.

He is known for his highly distinctive style of guitar playing, above all his percussive right-hand action which is similar to a bass player’s ‘slapping’ technique.

Son of a chief Osodolamu Sanyaolu of the Yoruba tribe and a successful industrialist, Keziah (Olufemi) spent his early childhood in a large family in the semi-Muslim part of Nigeria, close to the city of Lagos. From a young age he was being prepared to follow his father’s footsteps and was expected to have an academic career. Therefore his father enrolled him in a highly prestigious Public School and Keziah left Nigeria at 8 years old to be educated, somewhat incongruously, deep in the countryside of England.

Looking back later on he said: “I had to find a way out of all that bullshit, and music was it!”
By the age of 13 he discovered the old school piano and taught himself how to play and write songs. Three years later he switched to the guitar and neglected his studies more and more.
After scraping through exams he went against his father’s wishes and family tradition even
more by skipping school and trying out his songs in the streets, clubs and on the London Underground, constantly avoiding the police, the Immigration Department - and even his own relatives, who were sent to track him down

Keziah then led a bohemian life for several years instead of the one his father had envisaged for him. “Lose all time, love your mind, free your soul!” (from his song Free Your Soul). Moving from London to Paris and back again accompanied by his guitar, he began to acquire an excellent reputation as a musician and performer with a unique style and presence. In 1990, while playing on a street corner in Portobello Road London, Keziah was discovered by songwriter, now his manager, Phil Pickett who signed him to the French music label “Delabel”. In 1992, Delabel signed Keziah for his first album, “Blufunk Is A Fact,” which included the worldwide success of his first single “Rhythm is Love.” Obviously, Keziah’s early Parisian Metro and London Underground experiences were instrumental to his early career, which then began to take off.

Lenny Kravitz, an early admirer of Keziah’s charismatic style and powerful presence, booked him on his world tour which immediately introduced him to the kind of success he was soon to become accustomed. Rave reviews and ‘barnstorming’ performances - playing simply & powerfully with guitar and voice - gained Keziah thousands of new fans the world over.  cont/
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Keziah often cites Fela Kuti and Jimi Hendrix as two of his most important influences. In fact, Jones was one of the last people to interview Fela before he died as the latter considered Keziah a natural successor as a musician with free spirit, soul and awareness. Other major influences were Michael Jackson, John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

Keziah Jones paints and writes poetry and is also a talented photographer. He produces short films, one among them entitled “BLACKSPEEDTEXT.” This film, his music and the other facets of his artistic life reflect his early experiences on the streets.

Keziah Jones is currently commuting between Lagos, New York, Accra and Paris writing and recording his next album based on an intriguing story he has written and illustrated, and which - again drawing on Nigerian themes and experiences he considers to be his most ambitious to date


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