Ayub Ogada

Ayub Ogada, born Job Seda in Mombasa, Kenya, in 1956, was a highly regarded Kenyan musician and a descendant of the Luo people. His musical inclination was influenced by his parents, who were also musicians and performed Luo music for Kenyan and US audiences. As a child, he traveled to the United States with his parents and later attended Catholic school and high school in Nairobi, playing in bands like Awengele and Black Savage, and experimenting with both indigenous and modern instruments. In 1979, he co-founded the African Heritage Band, which fused traditional African music with rock and soul. In 1986, Ogada moved to the UK, taking with him his characteristic instrument, the Luo eight-string traditional lyre known as the nyatiti, and for a time, he earned a living by busking on the London Underground.

His breakthrough came in 1988 after he was invited to play at Peter Gabriel's WOMAD festival, which led to a long association with Gabriel's Real World Records. Ogada recorded his debut album, En Mana Kuoyo (Just Sand), in 1993, and subsequently toured extensively with Peter Gabriel and WOMAD. His music, characterized by the sounds of the nyatiti and his voice, has been featured on the soundtracks of numerous films, including The Constant Gardener and Out of Africa, in which he also acted under his birth name, Job Seda. He performed at the Live 8 concert in 2005, and in 2007, he moved back to Kenya. Ayub Ogada passed away on February 1, 2019.

Top Tracks

1

Kothbiro

2

Obiero

3

Dala

4

Ondiek

5

Thum Nyatiti

6

Wa Winjigo Ero

7

Chiro

8

En Mana Kuoyo

9

Dicholo

10

10%

Top Albums

En Mana Kuoyo

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En Mana Kuoyo (Real World Gold)

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Kodhi

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