Tony Allen (musician)

Tony Allen
Allen at Oslo Jazzfestival 2015
Allen at Oslo Jazzfestival 2015
Background information
Birth nameTony Oladipo Allen
Born(1940 -07-20)20 July 1940
Lagos, British Nigeria
Died30 April 2020(2020-04-30) (aged 79)
Paris, France
Genres
Occupations
  • Drummer
  • composer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Drums
  • percussion
Years active1968–2020
Formerly of
Tony Allen at the Eurockéennes of 2007

Tony Oladipo Allen (20 July 1940 – 30 April 2020) was a Nigerian and French drummer, composer, and songwriter who lived and worked in Paris, France. Allen was the drummer and musical director of Fela Kuti's band Africa '70 from 1968 to 1979, and was one of the founders of the Afrobeat genre.[1][2] Fela once stated that "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat".[3] He was described by Brian Eno as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived".[4] Later in life, Allen collaborated with Damon Albarn on several projects, including Gorillaz, the Good, the Bad & the Queen and Rocket Juice & the Moon.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Quand Tony Allen, père de l'afrobeat, se met à table" (in French). 1 May 2020.
  3. ^ Williamson, Nigel (18 January 2008). "Tony Allen: The veteran Afrobeat drummer is shaking his sticks as hard and as brilliantly as ever". The Independent. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  4. ^ Patterson, Ian (24 December 2007). "Steve Reid: Staying in the Rhythms". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
  5. ^ Reed, Ryan (28 March 2012). "Rocket Juice and the Moon: Rocket Juice and the Moon". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2020.