FLASHBACK: Alex O, Nigerian R & B Icon

Album cover for his 1988 debut album

In 1988, Nigeria's foremost record label, Polygram Records released an album titled "Gettin Loose" by a little known studio engineer/songwriter/singer known as Alex O. Born Alex Okoroigwe in Imo State, he was new to the limelight but like many good artistes back then he had spent a number of years under the tutelage of a pair of titans in the persons of late great musicologist, Elder Steve Rhodes and uber producer Lemmy Jackson. 

The album turned out to be a good bet for Polygram Records as it sold fairly well for a debut and was nominated for the defunct Nigerian Music Awards for two years in a row. He was hot cake. A sensitive lover-boy in the mould of the leading Pop/R & B stars of the 80's like Michael Jackson, Ray Parker Jr and later in his career like British singer, Rick Astley. He had jerry-curls, was an enthusiastic dancer and wasn't afraid to try and rap sometimes in his songs. Though it was always the nursery rhyme type of flow that singers were forgiven for in those days.

A huge chunk of my childhood involved watching NTA 2 Channel 5 watching Alex O and his perm. Always impeccably dressed in a "miami-vice" styled jacket and baggy trousers with suspenders and turtleneck sweatshirt, either dancing passionately, serenading a lady in a garden or chasing after a pretty girl on the beach in the songs - "Nwadanma", "Do it" (In the name of love) and "Banana". Most of his videos were shot and produced by the then top production company in Nigeria, Philip Trimnell Productions (PTP) and dance sequences arranged by ace choreographer, Reward James Akpiri. 

By 1994 his career had turned the corner, coinciding with the explosion of hip-hop in Nigeria by the likes of Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac that simply overwhelmed Nigeria and buried pop, reggae and almost R & B music for years to come. At a later year this writer was fortunate to perform on the same stage with him in a concert/award night event held in Abia State University. I can still remember a crowd of about 3000 students screaming in harmony - "ooh yeah she is mine, she's my banana!". By then he had moved to Port Harcourt from Lagos and was cleaning out performing at oil company events.

A shrewd businessman, he read the times and moved to Singapore to study Digital Film and Audio Production and was in regular demand by the Nigerian community and various African embassies. He now lives in South Africa where he runs his post-production services studio and is married to Nollywood actress, Oby Edozien.

Alex & Oby Okoroigwe in 2012