Life, times and legacies of veteran music promoter Femi Esho
Chief Femi Esho, a legendary music promoter and Chairman of Evergreen Musical Company, has died on Monday in Lagos at the age of 77 after a brief illness.
His daughter, Bimbo Esho, confirmed his passing, stating,
“We announce the passing unto glory of our patriarch, Mr. Samuel Babafemi Esho, popularly known as ‘Baba Esho’ and ‘Baba Musician.’ Baba Esho departed to greater glory on Monday, June 17, 2024, after a brief illness at the age of 77.”
Born on October 29, 1946, in Ilesa, Osun State, Femi Esho’s contributions to the music industry are immense and internationally recognized.
Apart from establishing his own musical company, he formed a band dedicated to evergreen music.
The band’s high quality and the timeless appeal of evergreen music led them to perform at prestigious venues across Lagos, including the Metropolitan Club, Ikoyi Club, MUSON Centre, Island Club, and Yoruba Tennis Club.
Their performances attracted patronage from numerous corporate giants.
Esho was a prominent figure on radio and television, promoting evergreen music, particularly Highlife.
He hosted “Highlife Renaissance” on Raypower, Nigeria’s first private radio station, weekly for about three years.
To commemorate Nigeria’s centenary in 2014, he reviewed Nigerian music from 1914 to 2014 in a program broadcast on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
His musical company played a pivotal role in reviving the works of legendary musicians such as Bobby Benson, Eddy Okonta, Rex Jim Lawson, E.T. Mensah, Joe Mensah, Haruna Ishola, Victor Olaiya, and I.K. Dairo through a project that repackages music from the 1920s.
Esho also launched the Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation in Surulere, Lagos, aimed at preserving and safeguarding musical heritage.
This foundation is a comprehensive resource for research and documentation of over 10,000 Nigerian musicians, supporting researchers, anthropologists, and sociologists globally.
Esho’s passion for music began at a young age.
“I started collecting music at the age of 12,” he recounted during an event celebrating “10 Music Legends of Lagos Evolution” in December 2017.
His dedication to preserving musical heritage is exemplified by a notable story shared by his daughter.
In 2008, while in Ghana to obtain rights to release works by old Ghanaian Highlife stars, Jerry Hansen of the Ramblers Dance Band, then 86, was moved to tears, expressing shame that Esho had come from Nigeria to present him with his lost works.
Known affectionately as “Baba Esho,” he was a mentor and an ‘encyclopedia’ to many Highlife music enthusiasts.
His legacy is defined by his tireless efforts to ensure the immortality of Nigerian Highlife, Juju, Sakara, Apala, Afrobeat, and other indigenous music genres.
