The sudden death of legendary Ayub Ogada is a big lose for Kenyans and music industry at large, he was regarded as one of the greatest Kenyan artists of all time, and one of the finest exponents of his primary instrument, the Nyatiti.
Ayub was born in 1956 in Mombassa as Job Seda, a descendant of the proud Luo people of western Kenya.
As a musician, he experimented with many styles, including popular rock music, but ultimately found his true voice in bringing the traditional music of his people to a global audience using the lyre-like Nyatiti as his sole accompaniment an instrument associated with the Kisumu region where he lived.
He had a long association with Real World Records and WOMAD, beginning with his first appearance at WOMAD Festival 1988 in Cornwall after being discovered busking in the London Underground.
He took part in the famous Real World Recording Week in 1991, and released his first album En Mana Kuoyo for the label in 1993.
He toured extensively with WOMAD in the USA, and performed as part of Peter Gabriel’s Secret World tour in the early 1990s.
Ayub’s most famous song is Kothbiro. Over the years, the song has received widespread recognition through its popularity on film and TV soundtracks. It featured in The Constant Gardener (2006), NBC’s The Philanthropist, the Rio 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony, and a Guinness advertising campaign throughout Africa.