LIFE AND TIMES OF MARY AFI USUAH
The history of music in the West Africa
sub-region will be incomplete without the mention of Mary Afi Usuah who left an indelible mark on the music industry in the course of her career.
TOP 8 MARY AFI USUAH SONGS PLAYLIST [VIDEO]
Born into a prominent family in Oron, Akwa Ibom
State, Mary Nightingale as many fondly called her, took her talent,
skill & creativity across the shores of Nigeria to Europe where she trained professionally as a musician in London, Naples and Rome but settled down to work extensively as a musician in Italy.
It will interest you to know that because of her pretty high creative drive, Mary Afi Usuah experimented with various forms of contemporary music, including Rock, Opera and Jazz. While in Italy, Mary mesmerized
her audiences with her thrilling voice as she placed opera music tops on her setlist and she performed with top music ensembles
of the 70s in Italy.
She returned to her home country, Nigeria, after meeting with the late former Military Governor of the old Cross River (which comprised of Cross River State & the present Akwa Ibom States of Nigeria) Brigadier General U. J. Esuene in Italy.
The late Governor got so enchanted by her
performance back in Italy (which he was privileged to watch) that he pleaded with her to
return back to Nigeria & join hands with him to build her home state to which
she agreed.
Back in Calabar the state capital, Mary was instantly appointed to head the Cultural Center by the Governor - who is reputed to be the highest performing Governor of all time - East of the Niger River in Nigeria.
She then recorded her mixed blend of Opera singing prowess and African beats album, prominent amongst her three major works was her 1975 debut, EKPENYONG ABASI, which instantly shot her to limelight. Mary Afi Usuah will always be
remembered for her electrifying stage performance and her dexterity as a guitarist of no mean repute; she passed away in February, 2013.
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