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Oliva De Coque was perhaps one of Nigeria’s finest musicians of his time.
Born in Ezinifite, Anambra State, Nigeria, in 1947, he started playing music at the age of 11 and was taught to play the guitar by a Congolese guitarist who was living in Nigeria then.
De Coque was an apprentice of juju musicians Sunny Agaga and Jacob Oluwale and he tasted stardom as a teenager.
On the international scene, he became known after performing in London in 1973 at the age of 26. He also featured as a guitarist in Price Nico Mbarga’s 1977 album, Sweet Mother, which has been ever green since then.
He released his debut album titled, Messiah Messiah in 1977. In total, De Coque recorded 93 albums many of which songs were noted to be in the ogene genre, blending modern music with traditional Igbo harmonies.
His single albums include: “People’s Club of Nigeria”, “Nempi Social Club”, “Biri Ka Mbiri“, “One Enwe“, “Nnukwu Mmanwu” and “Identity”, the latter of which spent several weeks on Radio Nigeria 2’s Top Ten in 1981.
In addition to his solo work, De Coque frequently played with the Igede International Band, led by his brother Eugene.
The musician was awarded an honorary degree in music from the University of New Orleans, USA.
He died on 20 June 2008 following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was survived by his sons, some of which include Solar De Coque, Safin De Coque (Darlington Akanite), Edu De Coque (Chinedu Akanite), and Ikenna Akanite.
No doubt, he was among Nigeria’s greatest guitarists who performed excellently on the musical scene for many years before his demise. Of course, his ever green albums like Biri Ka Mbiri is still very much desired today in various homes and in social gatherings. His demise came as a rude shock and music lovers all over the world still miss his electric performance.
