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Quick Facts
Born
1941
1941
From
Nigeria
Nigeria
Journey
Victor Efosa Uwaifo was born in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, and grew up in an Edo household where traditional music, dance, storytelling, and visual arts were part of everyday life. He developed an interest in music at a young age and taught himself guitar after listening to Spanish and Latin American records. He attended Western Boys’ High School in Benin City and later St. Gregory’s College in Lagos before studying graphics and commercial art at Yaba College of Technology, graduating with distinction in 1963. His commitment to education continued throughout his life; he later earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Fine and Applied Arts from the University of Benin and eventually became a professor there.
Uwaifo began his professional music career in the early 1960s, performing with established highlife musicians before forming The Melody Maestros in 1965. That same year he released “Joromi,” a song inspired by Benin folklore that became a major hit across West Africa. The record earned him the first gold disc awarded in Nigeria and one of the earliest gold disc recognitions in Africa, establishing him as a leading figure in Nigerian popular music. He later developed distinctive rhythmic styles such as Akwete, Shadow, and Ekassa, drawing from Edo musical traditions while creating a modern highlife sound.
His celebrated recordings include “Joromi,” “Guitar Boy,” “Mami Water,” “Akwete,” “Egho,” “Siwo Siwo,” “Kirikisi,” “Iye Iye Oh,” and “Arabade.” His inventive guitar techniques and unusual guitar shapes became part of his performance identity. In later years, he released “Legend Reborn” in 2015, demonstrating his continued creative activity decades after his breakthrough.
Beyond music, Uwaifo was an accomplished sculptor, painter, writer, inventor, and cultural administrator. He served as Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Edo State from 2001 to 2003. He received the national honor of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) for his contributions to Nigerian culture. He also received numerous cultural and academic recognitions during his lifetime.
Sir Victor Uwaifo died on 28 August 2021 in Benin City. His recordings continue to be performed, reissued, and studied, and he remains one of the foundational figures in Nigerian highlife and African popular music history.