Bob Miga, The Vintage Years: A Tribute

BY AMBROSE EHIRIM

Photo Op: The Hykkers. Image Courtesy of Comb & Razor

I had co-emceed the student's day ballroom dance and we had hired disc jockey Alan B. (Onyema O.), who then also announced alongside Teddy Oscar Uju at the Imo Broadcasting Service, the IBS in Owerri. It had been normal harmattan, the dry, dusty windy season when we take the Christmas break and join folks in our enclaves to find out how things could work out as we began to develop and grow, in mannerisms and an in tuned cultural heritage .

It had been a wave of music groups upon music groups and as one is forming, the other is disbanding. They had all emerged after the Nigeria-Biafra War had ended in January 1970; though some of these casts had been around playing gigs before the war broke out.

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the UNN, is the Eastside higher institution modeled after the American tradition, of higher learning, which ultimately would bring about change in every aspect of society. It was on the grounds of this great institution that Bob Miga, born Valentine Soroibe Agim would storm with a cast of his musician-folks, and where other cats of the day performed and, all around the Eastside.

Just like the three major record labels' (Blue Note Records, Impulse and Prestige) experimental years guided and produced casts of phenomenal jazz players -- Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Billy Higgins, Jimmie Smith, Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Lee Morgan, John Coltrane, Curtis Fuller, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Clarke, Donald Byrd, Grant Green, Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette, Bud Powell, Idris Muhammad, Pharoah Sanders, Tal Farlow, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey,  McCoy Tyner, and as the list goes on and on, which I presented on my Facebook page, and eruption of the crossover era when the experiments overwhelmingly seemed to be accomplished, categorizing patterns of instrumental plays (jazz fusion, smooth jazz, new wave music, etc.) -- Nigeria, in the 1960s developed similar desire as was the case with the three major record labels during the 1950s-1960s experiments; experiments its direction was unknown, which would drive a youngish, curious minded elements, determined, bringing in a new kind of music in adaptation to their foreign counterparts.

The experimental years which had appeared while the bebop, ragtime and swings of the 1930s-1940s waned, and in the 1950s when Blue Notes' Alfred Lions had brought in his friend, Francis Wolf, to capture every image of every event, and at all recordings and jam sessions, it wasn't noticed that Lions had visions and was innovative. Today, the ideal behind Blue Note Records and its sister links, still plays and valid.

In Nigeria's 1960s, though there were other musical genres of note and already coined -- juju, highlife, etc. -- popular music as had exploded in Lagos would take the city and nation by storm, and an adopted name about a coastal city, the "New York of Africa," would melt Lagos in its entirety, burning with an emerged, amazing night life that would rock the land.

A new blend of music. Some new cats and stage names. A style and personalized trademark. A quest that would send a powerful message. Lyrics made raw.

It was during this experimental period that names and groups like Teddy Oscar and the Strangers, Pat Finn Okonjo, Jerri Jhetto, Joni Haastrup, Michael "Micro Mike" Akpo, Franco Adams, Lola da Silva, Paul Nwoko, Victor Damole and uncountable others, surfaced. And the Teddy Oscar and the Strangers Band assumed to penetrate the newly arrived pop scene disappeared before anyone could figure out what had gone wrong.

According to Uchenna Ikonne who will be releasing a book on West African vintage music,  the Hykkers appeared on the music scene upon probably the sudden dissolution of the Teddy Oscar-led Strangers, and though at the brief appearances, Miga may have not been given publicity.

Nevertheless, Miga joined the Hykkers, an army engineered band, alongside Jake Solo, Okonjo, Emile Lawson, Felix Umuofia and Jeff Stone Afam. Hykkers would play jam sessions and entertain the army brass until the base camps at Lagos wanted their attention, the need to go back to Lagos and perhaps keep up with the same flow and same band members.

That would not happen. Miga had a plan. Since his mother was staying in Owerri, he figured there was no need to follow the band back to Lagos. So, he alerted the military commands about other band members' desire to move back to Lagos, which wasn't a good idea, as he suggested; and how to keep the band permanently positioned in Owerri could be beneficial to the military commands, considering the fact that the band had gained grounds in the East, and would not make sense to start all over again by moving back to Lagos.

As it had happened, the military commands favored Miga's stories and strategies which should keep the band intact, in the sense that, Wetheral Road, Owerri, and other hangouts in the hood where the band did their rehearsals, had become established and known, by the locals and fans all around the region, the East. Owerri had become blown to a mega city because of Miga and how he brought pop culture home. Owerri Township and its suburbs, overnight, turned out a sensation with the kind of psychedelic funk, blended with some rock, had been introduced into every home; and thanks to Miga's Strangers. Miga had become a demi-god and idolized anywhere he popped up.

While Miga stayed on top in many of what he had initiated, bands erupted like crazy, and Ala-Igbo would be something else by way of pop culture.

The pop culture revolution had just begun.

The Hykkers, as it would turn out when Miga had succeeded in convincing the military commands why Owerri remains a better spot, in which he was allowed to keep all the instruments while the rest of the band members left empty handed back to Lagos for Miga to regroup. Meanwhile, Eddy Duke who had stayed behind on Miga's counsels did not hesitate to join Miga in the new Hykkers band when Jake Solo (Nkem Nwankwo) and Ify Jerry came aboard from Enugu for scheduled Hykkers gigs, jam sessions and studio recordings. A group now in adaptation to the Liverpool foursome, the Beatles, would rock the East in a similar fashion the Beatles did in Europe and the Americas.

The Hykkers, would, however, record some powerful singles -- "God Gave His Only Son," "Stone The Flower," "Deiyo Deiyo," etc. -- before going their separate ways which was typical of music bands and how the business was run.

Enter the new Strangers of Owerri. There is a new band in town with rules of engagement. After parting the Hykkers and Miga stuck with musical instruments, leaving him with one of two choices: To look for session men, shop around for a recording label, form a new band for gigs, outdoor performances and live studio recordings, or leave the entire business alone and move on for something entirely different and, better.

Miga already knew what show business had been all about; so, making up his mind did not take too much probing to find out there was no other place for him than the only thing he had known from growing up.

With all musical instruments in his possession and a band dissolved with no other band-members around to flex with, Miga hopped on the road again to shop around for a group of session men, or folks willing to form a new band with him. It was in this quest, he bumped into guitarist Ani Hoffner (Eugene Umebuani) and Sammy Mathews and, after talks of engagements in recording and performing contracts, Hoffner and Mathews agreed to participate in Miga's new band, The Strangers of Owerri.

There was a Strangers resident in Owerri and Miga and his band mates got every soul popping. Other music bands emerged, too, and the Eastside never would be the same again. In every nook and cranny, there was a gathering, student union ballroom, family parties, series of scholarly fraternities, social clubs, christenings, cultural festivals, traditional initiations on the rites of passage, and things like that, which overwhelmingly overshadowed the Eastern landscapes, as these musicians entertained.

I had blogged on my Facebook page upon Miga's death just previously and accidentally by posting one of his brilliant project, the single, "Survival," and had sought West African vintage music analyst and blogger, Ikonne's opinion about my view of "Survival" I had thought should be on the one in the list. It was that day that Miga died. A couple of days, to express my condolences, I posted along with commentaries a Stranger-Funkees-local fans photo-op after rehearsals taken in early 1971. As it occurred, the expressions of those who knew about the era, was touching. Some of the comments:

"Sad loss Ambrose! Explains why I was in 'Strangers' mood couple of days ago! Used to hang out at their flat on Wetheral Road, Owerri with my pals as truant kids skipping school playing hooky just to watch them rehearse back then! Their 'music and temperament' was a class act, especially after the loss of the Biafra war, and we were finding our ways back into society. Cherished memories and great contribution! Really sad but thnx for sharing!"

------------Charles Asuzu

"Oh wow. Ambrose, this is rather melancholic for me. I enjoyed these golden days of genial musical band exploits but was too young or maybe too naive to even know the names of the groups. Then as I grew up I faced the sad experience of hearing and listening to artists sing about the passing of the individual talents, starting with my earliest recollection, Spud Nathan. Later in my broadcasting days in Nigeria, I was opportune to interview individuals like Harry Mosco Agada, a couple former Ofege, Osibisa and the rest and those encounters were so memorable. Today the list of the departed icons is growing -- Jake Solo, Harry Mosco, Perry Ernest...Could a memorial event ever be put together for them?"

------------Victor Nwora Aghadi

"Bob helped to create the atmosphere that helped the Easterner on the road to recovery after the devastating loss and humiliation by the power that was. People started to forget for a minute the pains and suffering, whenever the music was presented. Music was the pill that healed the people. May his soul rest in perfect Peace. He played his part very well."

----------- Jerri Jhetto

"May his soul rest in peace. He would always be remembered as a cultural revivalist. One of those who helped the Igbo spirit to re-energize. Is it a surprise that just months after the genocidal war, the Igbo began to rule the music world again in Nigeria with different shades of pop and highlife bands?"

------------ George C.E. Enyoazu 

Like most of the commentaries, everybody just wanted to dance and be happy and put behind what had been Yakubu Gowon's-led genocidal campaign against the Igbo nation. A Reconstruction era and a people just risen like a phoenix. And all the musicians, bands and groups delivered wherever they were called upon to perform. Iyke Peters and Marshall Udeonu, the Founders 15. Lawrence Ebenwa, the Doves. My hommie, Jerry Boyfriend. Lasbry Colon, the Semi Colon. Chyke Fusion, the Apostles. Spud Nathan (Jonathan Udensi), the Wings. The trio -- Jake Solo, Harry Mosco and Sunny Akpan -- the Funkees. Several other bands emerged upon breakups and regrouped.

As the Eastside had become the hotbed of a social revolution, more bands popped up and the Strangers, again, would collapse. Though with some singles released, there would be disagreements on leadership and payout contracts in-between Migas handling of the band and Hoffner's faction, issues folks in the music business encounters regularly especially when its leadership begins to crumble. That was the fate of The Strangers of Owerri Miga had asked Hoffner to join. Hoffner left and took away all his boys to start what would be One World.

Miga, again, was left without session men or a band. He had to rethink his strategies after Hoffner and his colleagues' departure. One World, Hoffner's band would relocate to Warri where they'd be the resident band at Lido Nite Club & Restaurant, exchanging dates at the club with the Lemmy Faith-led Aktion 13.

Like the adage,  "Old Soldier No Dey Die," Miga wasn't  finished yet; he was still kicking and never would give up. This time around, he hustled himself onto the streets of Owerri and elsewhere and, talked enough guys into being session men or part of an extended Strangers after the Hoffner team. Miga collected some folks to help him work in the studio for another release. He had engineered the project, but what had happened was he felled off with his new crew who got away with the master-tape, formed a new band and released a single that had been Miga's idea. The group, Black Children released "Satisfaction," and a Miga's touch was felt in the entire song. Black Children ended Miga's music appeal. Miga would relocate to London where he would sit on the chair of the Nigeria High Commission in London until his passing April 2, 2014.

About four years ago, Miga had told me he wanted to come to Los Angeles and be part of the Summer Jams. I told him I couldn't wait to see him. On March 23, 2012, Miga thought about me and assumed I had information on what was being planned about his homecoming gigs and the revival of vintage music. Miga writes;

"Hi Amby,

I wonder if you are in touch with Ibe Ekeanyanwu and Alan B. I suppose they have commenced some plans for my return gig. I will connect you guys if you are not aware of them. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks,

Bob Miga."

In my response which was immediately, I wrote;

"Ok, great I heard from you. I have no such information on your return gig. Keep me posted, please. You must have heard by now of Harry Mosco Agada's death."

Bob Miga and I did not share much correspondence henceforth because of our schedules.

Like I Said earlier, I first met Alan B when my village student union hired him to deejay our event and I had co-emceed. We met several other times including his gig at then College of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, in 1978.

Miga's era, without doubt changed a whole lot, especially, culture. At a particular time, our parents did not want us to be associated with all the hype, the music and ballroom dances of the time, which as then assumed, depicts every bad behavior that attracts the desire to ditch classes. They were wrong. It was part of the pop culture and social order in development and upbringing as time passed by.

Ironically, with all that as we enjoyed the era and the music of Miga's Strangers and, other performing artists, and as we danced all night long behind closed doors, manned by volunteered bouncers, and we had no more leg strength but crawl back home reciting  Strangers "Survival." No, not that we knew the lyrics; we were blabbing as if we got it in order and nobody figured it out, that we youngsters, had no clue.

In this file photo taken early 1971, Owerri, Bob Miga (C) surrounded by members of The Strangers and The Funkees with some of their local fans after rehearsals. Life had begun anew in the East and pubs and related joints would pop-up everywhere and many new bands would be formed. Miga founded Strangers but fell apart with one of his key partners, Ani Hoffner, who would later be bandleader, One World. Miga died April 2, 2014, in London after a brief illness. He was survived by his wife and three children. Image Courtesy of Comb & Razor

I bid you goodbye, my friend!

(Uchenna Ikonne contributed to this story).

Uchenna Ikonne, Renaissance Man

Some of Ikonne’s prized 45-inch records. Photo: COURTESY COMB & RAZOR

By Jayne Usen, NEXT

Uchenna Ikonne could be described as a walking encyclopedia of some sort because of his knowledge of the history of Nigerian music. Based in the United States, he is a filmmaker by vocation and a lawyer by training, but his consuming passion is Nigerian music. Ikonne is currently working on reissuing a lot of Nigerian classic songs under his label, Comb & Razor Sound. He shares his story with NEXT.

With your knowledge of Nigerian music classics, many would be shocked to realise that you are only 35 years old

That does often take people by surprise. I’m primarily known as an online presence, chiefly for my writing on my blog (http://combandrazor.blogspot.com), so most people have no idea of my background, age, or appearance. They generally expect me to be much older than I am because I’m writing about Nigerian music and popular culture of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s; and they’re often alarmed to learn that I’m in my 30s.

The funny thing about it is that I have spent a lot of time interviewing musicians from that era, and even when I’m sitting with them face-to-face, they still forget how old I am. Like, we’ll be discussing some events that happened immediately after the civil war, and they’ll say to me, “Shey, you know that nightclub we used to go to in Port Harcourt… You remember when so-and-so played there one Friday night like that in 1971. Were you there that night?”

When stuff like that happens, I’m not quite sure how to process it: do I take it as a compliment that I appear so knowledgeable of the era that they forget I wasn’t there? Or does it mean that hard life has aged me to the point that men in their 50s and 60s can look at me and think I am their age mate?

Do Nigerian youth know enough about Nigerian songs of old?

I would not even be exaggerating if I said that many of our youth actually believe that the Nigerian music industry started in 1998 or so. They realise that yes, there must have been music in Nigeria “back in da dayz” - but they think that maybe we only had a handful of artists: Fela, Osadebe, Sonny Okosuns, Onyeka, maybe Evi-Edna, and a few other really popular names like that. I am not playing!

I have had many young people express this to me directly! But what’s curious is that a lot of times, even Nigerians who are old enough to remember better have completely forgotten most of the music of the past; cultural amnesia is an epidemic in our society, and that’s a shame.

Tell us why you decided to embark on this task

If I didn’t do it, who would? Well, the main thing I am working on right now is the Comb & Razor Sound record label, which will be reissuing a lot of classic music from Nigeria, as well as other countries in Africa and South America.

I’m trying to make it so that our releases are more like “publications”—big booklets full of historical information, stories, and photographs with a CD attached to them.

Because really, people aren’t that interested in just buying CDs anymore and CDs are too easily pirated, anyway. You have to give them the value for their money. We’ll also be releasing the music on vinyl records, which happens to be my preferred format.

You recently embarked on a trip to Nigeria to get more information; were there any challenges?

The number one challenge is always the relative inaccessibility of the information. It’s not like you can just walk into a library or something and comfortably find information. You have to dig for it. And frankly, not a lot of people have the stamina or resourcefulness to do that.

I remember when I first started telling people in Nigeria that I am looking for old records and stuff like that.

They told me, “You can’t find that kind of thing in Nigeria today.” My reply was “No, you mean YOU can’t find it… I can!” And they would say “Ha! You won’t see that sort of thing in the market o!” The market? Are you kidding? Who is looking at the market? To find this stuff, you need to go ‘under’ the market! For months on end I would be rummaging through dark and filthy storage spaces, day in and day out. Getting sinus infections from the dust and mould… digging through urine-soaked garbage and getting bitten by rats. And in the end, when I show all the material I’ve gathered, people always ask “How did you find this stuff?” as if I’m a magician. But really, it’s all right here under our noses!

Security was also a major challenge. Undertaking the project required me to traverse the breadth of the country several times over, and navigating the terrain while trying to stay ahead of the kidnapping epidemic in the East. Well, let’s say it required a good deal of gumption and creativity.

The challenge I feel defeated me, though, was the complete unavailability of a lot of the material. I’m actually a filmmaker by vocation, and my original intention had been to make a documentary film about Nigerian musicians.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get enough period footage to create a sufficiently dynamic documentary because of a lot of the tapes of musical performances recorded for television in the 1960s, 70s and 80s were either dubbed over or thrown away. So, unfortunately, I had to put that project aside.

Any collaborations with record labels in Nigeria for more information?

No, not really. For one thing, most of the big record labels from Nigeria’s golden age of music - EMI, Phillips, Decca/Afrodisia, and the like - they don’t exist anymore. And many of them even discarded or destroyed most of their records, master tapes, artwork, videos, and documentation.

Record keeping is almost non-existent in Nigeria. Why do you think this is so?

It’s probably a controversial view, but I think that we as Africans have a peculiar relationship to the concept of antiquity. We joke about “African time” and what-not, but I really do believe that the African perception of time is a bit more… fluid than it is in the West. We tend to live primarily in the present, and even our concept of “the present” is very elastic.

I once read about an anthropologist who was looking for artifacts in a certain African country, and he was presented with a carved wooden mask representing an ancient fertility god. He asked the indigenes if the mask was “authentic” - by which he meant: “does this particular mask actually date back to an ancient era of this land? Is it an antique?” And the people told him, “Of course it’s authentic” - by which they meant: “Yes, it was made here, and it still represents this particular fertility god who we still worship.”

Whether or not the mask is old was unimportant to them: all that matters is whether the mask did its job as the avatar for the god. It wouldn’t make a difference to them if the mask was carved 3000 years ago or yesterday. And if there was a mask from thousands of years ago representing a god that they no longer worshipped, then they would have no qualms with burning it or throwing it away because it served no useful purpose for them in “the present.”

So it is with us in Nigeria. We’re fixated upon how utilitarian things are to us in “the present,” and “the present” trumps everything.

That’s why you have television stations erasing the only copies of classic TV shows like ‘The Village Headmaster’ so they can use the tapes to record today’s music videos. It’s why record companies hired contractors to cart away and destroy entire libraries of master tapes of Nigerian music from the 1940s to the 1980s, so they’d have room for the music of the 1990s. ‘The present’ is all that exists for us.

When will your releases hit the market?

The first of these publications will probably be released in the US and Europe at the end of November. I’m not sure exactly when it will come to Nigeria, but obviously it will find its way here. It’s a musical chronicle of the years of Nigeria’s Second Republic (1979-83) and covers a lot of the notable developments of that era: the increased professionalisation of the Nigerian music industry with the rise of high-tech independent labels like Phondisk and Tabansi, the rise of solo singers as the old bands died, the emergence of more women in the music scene, and so on.

The next one will probably be out in December, and it will focus on the venerable Semi-Colon Rock Group of Umuahia. Then in early 2011, we’ll have something concentrating on music from Cross River and Akwa Ibom States and then a spotlight on Benin-style highlife, and lots of other stuff in the pipeline.

Is royalty payment a big issue for you?

It is a big deal to me. A BIG deal. You see, one thing that a lot of people don’t know is that most Nigerian musicians of years past never made any money off the sales of their records. I mean, ask someone like Onyeka Onwenu if she ever made even one naira from record sales. There’s no way I can in good conscience perpetuate that kind of exploitation of our artists and so, it’s of the utmost importance to me that the original artists are paid, even if it’s not a huge amount of money.

CDs actually are not selling as much as they were ten years ago, so nobody is getting rich off selling discs. But one thing we’re working on is developing ways to licence the music for use in films, television, adverts, ringtones, and other applications, and hopefully we can make some decent money for the artists that way, because some of them really, really need it.

What do you hope to achieve with this project?

I’d love to tell you that I hope to become a millionaire from it, but I’m much too realistic to even fool myself with that, let alone fool you. If, as a result of my efforts, Nigeria’s rich heritage of popular culture becomes fully recognised and celebrated, and I get to see our national artistic legends reap some of the money and kudos they deserve, I think I’d call myself a happy man.

And if I’m able to even make a few pennies from it myself to stay afloat and continue doing what I do, that would be a bonus, because this is really expensive work and I fund it pretty much completely out of my own pocket.

What’s next after this?

Well, I don’t like to look like I’m this guy who is stuck in the past, because despite my interest in history, I’m very much on the cutting edge of culture! I want to sign some contemporary artists to Comb & Razor Sound; I’m just looking for artists who are really unique. What I would really love is to find a really cool, young Nigerian hard rock/funk band.

Also, this whole music thing is really a side track that I stumbled into over the past two or three years and it has taken me away from my work as a filmmaker, so I’d like to get back to making movies soon.

To that effect, I have some film projects I’m developing. I haven’t completely given up on the documentary either. I’m also working on a book on the history of Nigerian film-making, and a cartoon series for Nigerian TV.

Fascinating Igbo Blogs on the Web

"They are all over the web doing stuff telling people their stories; writing about life events; lecturing their readers on literature, philosophy and society; providing marketing strategies on how to succeed in business; writing about their love affair and the ideal man of their dream; analyzing music to a pace unimaginable; teaching on business solutions; reviewing books; talking about the battle wounds and the pogrom; communicating and exchanging ideas; and a profound biography about Nd'Igbo, among others too numerous to mention."

"Here you go again. What's wrong with you, man!?"

"Nothing is wrong with me. I'm just excited about my people."

"Who are your people?"

"My people are my kith and kin that have shown they can do stuff and mean whatever they say."

"What the hell is that?"

"You see, you just don't get it, do you?"

"I sure don't get it. What in heavens places are you talking about?"

"Nothing, but hold on, what's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. You the one that have issues because you seem to be losing it."

"Losing what?"

"I mean, come on, you are not making sense at all about your ramblings. 'Writing about their love affair and the ideal man of their dream,' what the hell is that?"

"Well, I found out you are nosy and would like to know the goings on. Did I ever tell you about how unique the Igbo people are?"

"No, I don't remember."

"You see, when I say you have a shallow brain, you think I'm talking down on you."

"I know who you are. Your whole thing is to break the country up because you think Igbos are the master race."

"Now, you are quoting Obafemi Awolowo, who, feeling threatened with Igbo pragmatism thought Igbos were the 'master race' during the so-called constitutional conferences of a fabricated state."

"Look, man, I'm not gonna go there with you. Don't even go there, Okay?"

"You are just nuts."

"Maybe, I'm nuts because I am not singing about the Obi of trumpet and Ajoa."

"You see why I called you a knucklehead? How did the legendary trumpeter pop up here, in our conversation?"

"Because he is Okoro like you, and Okoros are known to be mean-spirited people. We call them ajaokuta ma momi."

"You see, that's the problem with you imbeciles, bigots and Igbo haters. When you can't handle the Igbos you start calling them names. What's up with that?"

"Quit man! I thought you brought me out here over some coffee and storytelling. What's the gist?"

"Okay, I gotcha. I am talking about Igbo people and the kind of fascinating stuff they are doing on the web. Some good, good stuff, you know..."

"And what's that?"

"I'm impressed. Finally, you succumbed to knowing what Igbo people are up to and all I can tell you is pay attention and listen carefully. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am ready."

"Here you go, and this is my story":

For some reason, every now and then while checking out the goings on in cyberspace, interesting Igbo blogs pops up and before you think you are just passing through, you get stuck with what the blog has to offer. It happens to me all the time and it is becoming a habit to figure out what these blogs are up to. I have gone through a whole lot of them, and to be honest, I am really impressed.

About seven or so years ago when I began to blog at Biafra-Nigeria-World and Igbonet until the black hats, the robots catapulted from far away China disrupted the drives of BNW News' blog continent and other weak servers on the web, not many Igbo bloggers had emerged. And this happened when the Igbo haters at Egbe Omo Oduduwa, the Nigerian world website run by North Carolina-based Chuck Odili had savagedly axed my colleagues and I for the fact that we mentioned Biafra in our write-ups. That hatred toward Nd'Igbo led to the origin of Biafranigeriaworld, Igbonet and other Igbo-related websites. And the appearance of the messageboard changed all that. That, it can be done.

But now it is pleasing to know my Igbo folks are doing stuff as bloggers, and they are sending the messages across.

First, it is amazing what my boy, Uchenna, is doing with his Comb & Razor Blog. He has digested every part of back in the day pop music from the 60s through the 80s, the whole stuff is now baked in his genes. It is worthy of mention his digging of every damn thing about the 70s songs including my favorites of that era, while growing up.

Somehow, I wonder how he does it. His list of analysis includes Wings (the one led by Jonathan "Spud Nathan" Udensi), Action 13, Wrinkars Experience, Sonny Okosun, Oby Onyioha, Danie Ian, Ofege, Theodora Ifudu, Nelly Uchendu, Bongos Ikwu, Godwin Ironbar, Ubo Jazz Band of Africa, Benji Igbadumeh and His Okeke Sounds International, Harry 'Mosco' Agada, Jake Solo, Funkees, Joni Haastrup and Monomono, Segun Bucknor, Ofo the Rock Company, William Onyeabor and the list goes on and on. His superbly written piece on Danie Ian got me "crawling," I mean crawling because it was indeed well-done.

Enter my home girl, North Carolina-bred Adaure Achumba whose The World According To Adaure is also intriguing and full of life. Now based in Lagos, she blogs about the happenings in her neck of the woods in Eko, and she has pretty good followings. She's been blogging since June 2005 and the stuff in there is the stuff of life which captures her readers from her style of writing -- clear and concise.

So, too, is this lady who should be writing scripts for the silver screen (maybe she does, I dunno) because she really got it together in her compelling fictionalized stories. I am talking about Essex, Maryland-based Vera Ezimora, the Verastic lady who got her readers glued for her brilliant masterpieces. I love to read her notes. They are quite entertaining. But methink sometimes her stories are based on her life experience, I mean, probably with some dude.

And somewhere in London, my home boy out there has taken his stuff to another level. Who knows? The next Amazon will be popping up soon and Britain's one and only online hip-hop company is just about to do that. 2GEES, the hip-hop company which has gone deeply into selling any product is run by Daniel Ezihe. He's been working so hard he's optimistic 2GEES will eventually be a brand name starting from the streets of London and all across the world. A blog of note is on the website, and has blogging ever been made easier? You bet!

Also, there is this New York-based enterpreneur called Emeka Okafor. He is the director of the award winning TED Global. He runs Timbuktu Chronicles which takes one to another level of discovery and other environmental matters. Technology is at its highest level here and Okafor would go to any length to bring it to you. He is on a mission and the innovation is just amazing.

Celebrating Nd'Igbo got me on my feet as I kept wondering how these beautiful Igbo minds work. A one of its kind biography blog of Nd'Igbo from all walks of life. Names I have never heard of popped up. How he does it, I don't know, and I surely have to give it to him for it has to deal with a whole lot of research. C. Ezeh, the nwanna that runs Celebrating ND'Igbo has done something entirely different and is doing a wonderful job a magazine on Igbo biography should be on the news racks and I'm quite sure he's giving a thought to it, or someone should be doing something about it, for the job he's done there is enormous.

On Professor Chielozona Eze, who teaches African and world literatures at North Esatern Illinois University, his Chielozona offers literature, philosophy and society. And on the literary circle, there is the Okri Blog run by Okri C. Okri which publishes literary work independently. In case you have plans to publish in future, check him out for a good deal and tell him that I sent you.

Lagos-based model Linda Ikeji is amazing, too, and she knows her stuff very well. With her smooth image, she has digested every part of the media on fashion, travel, publishing and environmental journalism. She's so proud to tell the world about her multi-talents and promises to reveal more whenever she remembers. She is a blogger and that's the part that I like. And this is Linda Ikeji.

Another interesting blogger is Dawn Okro who is studying law at Texas Southern University in Houston. She seems to be accomplished and has been blogging since 2006. She is a painter, an activist and all that. Bella Naija is another heavyweight in the Igbo blogosphere. It is run by Uche Eze. She, too, has a significant amount of following. Her website has transcended her blog, meaning progress is being made and perhaps she now hears the distance tapping of fingers in JP Morgan Chase.

Have you heard of "The Long Harmattan Season"? If you haven't, it is a book written by London-based liberal journalist, Uche Nworah, and he created a blog to promote his book, as a result. When you have time check it out and learn more because I can feel it; your brain is getting rusty. There is another one too run by an architect, Ugo Okafor, and co-edited by Chika Okafor and it's about women on planet Earth. It's called Spectrum Women and I know you will jump in there as soon as we vacate this coffee house. Your life cannot hang without women, and that's why.

Elsewhere on cyberspace, you will see one Jude Dibia whose blog is specifically on new 'writings, reflections and reviews.' His blog is doing well catching up with the old guards. At the same time there is New York-based fashion consultant by the name of Adanna Gbulie whose new blog is about Igbo enterprise and culture. I think she is on a good footing trying to figure out a whole bunch of stuff at one time. How she's gonna do it I dunno. That's tough.

Gosh! I almost forgot the one run by my childhood buddy, Teddy. It has all the videos you would love to see and there are many other activities on that site. You can create your own blog right in there and write your own reviews on a movie you watched. It is called Nigeria Home Videos. It's got lots of lots of goodies. Seeing is believing. Youtube will soon be a midget campared to what my buddy, Teddy, is doing out there.

Before I end this session, do not forget to check out the glamorous world of Chinwe Enemchukwu's Victorious Living, Ndi Uwa Oma blog. Maybe, it will lead you to what you are looking for. It's time to go!

"Thank you so much Ambrose. I have learned a lot and have seen what Igbo people are up to. They are a great people. And Ambrose, you, too, a rare gem. Once again, thank you very plenty!"

"It's my pleasure, my boy, and have a great week!"