Renowned singer and guitarist, Sir Victor Uwaifo (MON) is dead. The ‘Joromi’ and ‘Mammy Water’ crooner passed on Saturday with the cause of his death still unknown.
His nephew, Uwaifo Peter, broke the news on his Facebook page earlier today (Saturday evening).
Uwaifo Jnr, who is a gospel artist and multi-instrumentalist, wrote: “Daddy whyyyyyyyyyy. Did you leave us now? Prof sir Victor UWAIFO has gone to rest. Black Saturday for me now.”
The legendary singer, also fondly called ‘Guitar Boy’, had celebrated his 80th birthday in March.
Though renowned as a musician, the late Sir Uwaifo was also a writer, sculptor, musical instrument inventor and lecturer.
The former Edo State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism is also the most educated performing musician with degrees from the Yaba College of Technology and the University of Benin. He also had a PhD in Architectural Sculpture from the University of Benin.
His songs, including ‘Joromi’, ‘Mami Water’ and ‘Guitar Boy’, were massive hits. Sir Uwaifo was also the winner of the first gold disc in Africa (Joromi) released in 1965 and seven other gold discs in Guitar boy, Arabade, Ekassa series and Akwete music.
He was a multi-instrumentalist who played the classical guitar, electric guitar, flute, alto and tenor saxophone, baritone sax, soprano sax, piano and percussions.
He also wrote scores on music manuscript sheets, sight-read, composed and arranged songs.
To him, music was not to be trifled with. He told the PUNCH Newspaper in an interview earlier this year: “Music is a serious business. The fact that you can open your mouth to sing does not make you a musician. Playing street football does not make you a footballer, and arguing does not make you a lawyer. You can speak English, but that does not make you a journalist. Driving a car does not make you a mechanic or a pilot. You must train to become a professional. The young ones are too much in a hurry. The heights that great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight.”