Bowen Varsity honours Rex Lawson on 50th anniversary

FRIDAY, January 15, Bowen University, Iwo in Osun State stages a webinar to mark the 50^th anniversary of the passing of the evergreen king of highlife music, Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson. 

Themed, ‘Cardinal, Rex Jim Lawson: The Life of a Highlife Maestro, 50 Years On’, the memorial Webinar holds from 2.45pm on the zoom protocols – ID: 938 5071 6187/Passcode: 254451.

The webinar holds on the “exact day 50 years ago that the talented trumpeter died a tragic and untimely death…”

The core objective of the event, according to the convenor, Professor Akanji Nasiru,  is to celebrate the legend of highlife music, and, essentially, “to provide in-depth information on his life, his career, his unique style of music, and – an area in which not many people are knowledgeable – his message to his people and to Nigerians at large.”

The event, disclosed Dr. Bisi Adigun, a member of the organising committee, rather than being a purely academic exercise, “the Webinar promises to be invigoratingly entertaining, as a live audience will be afforded the opportunity to listen and boogie down to a number of Rex Lawson’s hits that will be played back or performed live in celebration of the life of a legendary highlife music icon.”

Continued Adigun, playwright, theatre director and teacher at Bowen, “A wide array of persons, groups and institutions  within and outside Nigeria that have been lined up to contribute to and participate in what is expected to bring together experts as well as enthusiasts in a webinar that promises to be unique in its format and appeal, include:

• Chief Anthony Odili, a nonagenarian who played the conga for Rex Lawson, the only surviving member of his band; he gives occasional lectures in Music at the Bowen University
• Professor Onyee Nwankpa, a Rex Lawson Professor of Music, University of Port Harcourt
• Mr Princewill, a Port Harcourt-based indigene of Buguma, Rex Lawson’s hometown, who speaks his language and can throw some light on the contents of many of his songs;
• Highlife the Show, a Whatsapp Highlife group made up of Nigerians mostly based in Canada;
• Prof Bode Omojola, a Music scholar formerly of the University of Ilorin, but now based in the United States;
• Members of staff of the College of Liberal Studies, Bowen University;
• Dr. Taiye Adeola of the University of Ilorin;
• Steve OseZua, a film  production consultant and the producer of Numoru: The god of Music, a documentary in production on Rex Lawson;
• Several other persons who are enthusiastic about highlife music and Rex Lawson; and
• Dr. Bisi Adigun, Theatre Arts lecturer at Bowen University, will anchor the programme.

On the conceptual note of the event, Prof Nasiru, himself a trumpeter, writes:  

“In the sixties and early seventies, the Nigerian highlife musician, Rex Jim Lawson, was a household name to lovers of music in the country and beyond. He was the “Cardinal” of music, the one whose songs seemed to dominate most Nigerian radio stations. He sang mostly in his native tongue, Kalabari, which was then almost unknown to millions outside his area of origin; but his appeal transcended the riverine region, and many people sang the refrains of his popular songs without knowing what they meant.

“Then, fifty years ago, almost precisely about the first anniversary of the end of Nigeria’s Civil War, the sad news came that Rex Lawson had died in a motor accident. The whole nation mourned this tragic loss. Among the first Nigerians to mourn him in their records were two Yoruba juju musicians, Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Ade, both of whom had drawn great inspiration from his style of music.

Today, nearly fifty years after his demise, Rex Lawson’s music lives on. Thanks to the vast strides of electronics, his popular songs exist on compact discs, and on videos on YouTube. Generations of popular Nigerian musicians who did not know the man have benefited greatly from his unique brand. Traces of his style of music can be observed even in gospel music. Not many musicians have made such a huge impact on the Nigerian music scene.

Note: To participate in the webinar, register at

For further inquiries, contact Dr Bisi Adigun (T:+234 812 305 4266; E: [email protected]).