The Facts

The FN Group handled marketing, design, and management for the 2001 and 2005 U.S. Tour of Nigerian music legend King Sunny Ade.

The Back Story

It was an honor to be asked by Andrew Frankel to manage King Sunny's North American tour in 2001 and then again in 2005 with the addition of handling the extensive marketing campaign. While a pleasure to support such great music (and great music it is!), don't be fooled; these types of enterprises are nothing less than hell-on-wheels. 2001's tour ended as we were flying King Sunny and his crew from LA to NYC on the morning of September 11th. In 2005, King Sunny, almost 60 but performing like a man half his age, had to undergo neck surgery as we went through 5 tour buses and had a back up singer suffer from critical heart failure on stage... he lived, barely. The hard times were balanced by great musical moments, sold out shows, and performances alongside musical legends like Taj Mahal and the recently departed James Brown. However, most of the tribulations were overcome through a great love for the music, the people and the culture, and most importantly the hard work of our partners Jeb Lewis and Andy Frankel. Cosi Wahala.

Notable Partners

UCLA, Bumbershoot, Street Scene, Rock Paper Scissors, Lincoln Theater, Money Gram, Family Dermatology, Afro Pop magazine, Great African Ball, Thomas Rome, Joe's Pub, and the Legendary Blue Horizon.

About King Sunny Ade

It is difficult for Americans to understand the social, political and economic influence of the Nigerian music legend King Sunny Ade. Nigeria is nearly twice the size of California, yet has a staggering 100 million more people representing more than 250 ethnic groups. King Sunny is and has been the undisputed musical champion of a country where little else is agreed upon.

Born in 1946, he is by far the most popular performer of Nigerian Jùjú music. With his band, King Sunny Ade and His African Beats, King Sunny Ade became an international star across Africa during the mid-1980s, touring and gaining a significant audience in the United States and Europe as well. He is known as the Minister of Enjoyment.

Born to a Nigerian Royal family in Ondo, Ade left grammar school to pursue his career, which began with Moses Olaiya's Federal Rhythm Dandies, a highlife band. He left to form The Green Spots in 1967. He formed a record label in 1974, fed up with being exploited by a major label. Beginning with Juju Music, Ade began gaining a wide following as a subsidiary of Island Records released his albums. He was soon billed as the African Bob Marley, and headlined concerts in the US. Soon after, Nigerian imports (mostly pirated copies) of his massive back catalog began flooding the Western market. Island, concerned about sales and Ade's refusal to include more English in his repertoire, cut him loose after his third LP, 1984's Aura.

1998's Odu, a collection of traditional Yoruba songs, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Ade has also become one of the most powerful people in Nigeria, running multiple companies in several industries. He has also created a non-profit organization called the King Sunny Ade Foundation and works with the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria.

Ade was the first to introduce the pedal steel guitar to Nigerian pop music after becoming a fan of American country/western tunes. He is also well-known for his dexterous stage art, dance steps and mastery of the strings.

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