VICTOR ESSIET
Veteran reggae musician and founder of Mandators, Victor Essiet, speaks to JANE KOLADE about his lifelong love affair with reggae music, the rocky road to success, growing up as an orphan, his social consciousness and activism, and lots more. Excerpts:
HOW many years ago did you get into music?
My first recording was in 1979, and released in 1980. It was my first professional album.
Prior to that, were you performing in shows, or part of a band?
Not at all, I was a young school boy at St. Timothy’s College Yaba. At the time. I had been writing songs, chronicling my experiences daily; all those things life was teaching me. It was while in school I recorded my first album.
You were part of a phenomenal Nigerian reggae group, with Peggy Imanah, your ex. How did that come about?
Peggy was in the same school with me, and I had the idea of having a band. I am a team player, and so I really don’t like doing things by myself. I like to have people around me doing things together.
I tried encouraging some of my classmates to join the band, but the challenges were quite great, as our school did not have a music department or equipment and so we were reduced to beating on the desks, with pens, cardboards and such until I was able to save money to buy a guitar. I was working as a cleaner with the Nigerian Ports Authority, and going to school at the time. I actually learned how to play the instrument with that guitar, and was self-taught. I used to see Peggy in passing. She was not the outgoing type, and had apparently intimated her cousin, Victor Isebamen, of her desire to join the band, but I was not willing to have a female in my band.
And that was when?
- Everybody actually left, including Peggy. At a point, we got back together, but I didn’t give up even when the other band members left. We were still in the same school, so we still saw each other daily.
So they were just no longer interested?
They were not. So I continued doing my thing, and the work. This continued until sometime in 1985 when I started approaching recording companies like Polygram, and EMI. The companies would reject the songs, saying they were no good, that I could not sing, and that our songs were not the happening vibe, and so would not sell.
But I continued. During that time, I made all those trips on foot, it was hard. The staff of the record company took my demo, and refused to return it to me. And every time I went back to retrieve it, they would not return it. So, one day, I said I was not going to leave except they returned my demo to me. They ordered their staff to throw me out, and that was when they started beating me.
Where was this?
At Polygram Records. It was during the altercation between the security men and I that the white CEO; Mr. Cessna by name (a Pole), drove in. He saw what was going on, and asked what was going on. I was given the opportunity to explain my predicament to him, namely that my demo was taken from me, and not returned, and I explained how I came to be beaten in the process.
It took me a lot to record the demo with my limited finances, so I would rather have died than let it go. He resolved the issue, sent for Chris Ajilo; who was the Artiste and Repertoire Manager at the time. They were unwilling to return my demo, claiming that it was lost, and later on claimed that they had returned it to me. Of course I replied that it was not, and that was when their boss ordered that it be found. He took me into his office, and offered me a coke, perhaps because he felt sorry for me. In the end, my demo was found that same day.
It seemed that some of the staff were not encouraging talents, even though it was their job, is that right?
That is how it was back then. So the man decided to play the demo that day, and could not believe the quality of what he heard. He kept asking me if it was my song, or if I copied it from somewhere. And I said I did not. It was at that point that he decided that he was going to call a meeting, and asked me to repeat the visit.
He gave me transport money that day. When I returned, they had a meeting, and all our people; including my townsman who was the marketing manager agreed that my music was no good, and not marketable. But the white man did not agree with them, he thought it was a great record, and would change the face of the music scene in Nigeria. They were laughing at me, saying they would not approve it.
When they later approved it, they offered the sum of six hundred naira to make the album, claiming that that was the amount given to highlife maestro Chief Steven Osita Osadebe. Of course it was not true; they only said that to get rid of me.
What genre of music was that?
Reggae.
Was it on the scene at that time?
No. The only group doing something similar was Terracotta; they put out Lamentations for Sodom. But it was not a best seller, even though it was original. They claimed that the country was so hard that they were unable to sell Terra’s music. At the end, they agreed to give a thousand naira to record the album.
Of course, it was part of the conspiracy to make me go away. I told Mr. Cessna that I had a brother who could produce the album (even though I had never met Lemmy in person). I was only hoping that Lemmy would agree to do so. When Mr. Cessna asked if I could bring him, I said that I would. So I asked around, and I spoke to someone who took me to his office, and I waited there until he arrived, and was able to see him after a long wait. I was very scared when I presented my case to him. That was before the era of mobile phones. I walked all the way to Aguda.
When he heard about Polygram, he asked how I got there. I narrated my story to him, and he agreed to go with me. At Polygram records, people were shocked to see me show up with Lemmy Jackson. During the meeting with the Decca management, Lemmy insisted that the music was very good. One of them asked that if it was so good, why he did not fund it, and take all the profits. But Mr. Cessna called his people to order, telling them they were not there to disrespect anyone. Lemmy said, “I listened to these songs and they are very good. If you can approve more money, it will create a change in the industry.” Although the MD approved of my music, his hands were tied because Nigerians owned sixty percent of the company, and the Dutch forty percent. At that point, Cessna said, “I am not going to let this young man go out there and become somebody else that could affect the society negatively. I give three thousand naira from my pocket to add to the one thousand given by the company.” There and then Lemmy Jackson promised to So the Polygram management knew that you needed much more than they gave?
They knew. They did all that to frustrate me, but Lemmy took the burden to make the album, and the album was a big hit, it was the album that blew this country; Crisis. It sold millions for Polygram.
Did you have an agreement or contract with them?
It was after the argument that I signed a contract with them. When it was time to record the video, again they refused to release enough money to make the video. They refused to pay Lemmy Ghariokwu, who designed the album cover. However, Phillip Trimmnel decided to take the token Polygram offered and added to it from his pocket, to make videos of two tracks from the album. That was what gave birth to the musical revolution that took place in Nigeria.
Did you get your royalties?
I did, but not what I was meant to because there was no way to verify how many copies they sold. And it can be so annoying, a record made with twelve thousand naira sold millions of copies, and you still got paid peanuts, and they claimed that pirates were killing the business.
Crisis took the country by storm but we were cheated. The first album was not made with their money, but a friend of mine (we used to be houseboys together). I had earlier helped him attend a programme, and later on he gave me money to fund the album.
So when did you move to the States?
I left for the States in 1993, in the heat of the June 12 crisis.
Tell me about your ex, Peggy. How did you become a couple?
I originally did not want anything romantic at the beginning, but after the band was established and we were doing well, I realised that we had a history together, and that was it.
You later broke up, why?
For some reasons, her parents came to take her away from my house while I was away on tour, and I never saw her again until her death in 1996.
You made no efforts to see her?
I did, but to no avail. I was only allowed to see my kids when I went to her parent’s house. At some point, I was not happy with the way my kids were being treated. Sometimes, I would meet them playing in the sand without clothes, so I took them away, and arranged to have my nieces take care of them whenever I was touring.
How many kids did you have together?
Two and they are in their late twenties now.
A lot has been said about your relationship with your ex, Peggy.
As I earlier said, after her parents took her away, I never saw her again even though I tried to. One day, years later, I was about performing at a show, I got a call from her parents that I should send money for her burial as she had died. I was in shock and asked why I was not asked to send money for her care while she was sick, only to be asked to pay for her burial. Anyway, I sent the money, and that was it.
Did you ever remarry?
No.
Why?
Because women are funny. Just like Lionel Richie said, “Women meet you doing a certain job and living a certain lifestyle, and like you with it. Then you get married, and then they demand that you not do your job, or complain that you travel too much.” They forget that it is what you do for a living to bring home the bacon, and also who you are.
Do you have other kids?
Yes, two.
Do you still perform?
Yes, I do. Music is what I do for a living. I also have an organisation and event I am promoting, and it is called Africa Meets Reggae Concert. The first held in 2014, the second in 2015. Another edition will hold this year.
You were recently kidnapped during a visit to the country, can you tell us about that?
I am sorry I can’t talk about that now, as the matter is currently in court.
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