(Nigeria - Afrobeat)

King Sunny Adé is by far the most popular performer of Nigerian Jùjú music. With his band, King Sunny Adé and His African Beats, King Sunny Adé 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. Since the evolution of juju music in Nigeria in the thirties no exponent has made a more lasting impact in the genre than King Sunny Adé. As a singer, composer and guitarist, he has succeeded over the years in taking this Nigerian social music type to international heights.Born to a Nigerian royal family in Ondo, Adé 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.

Beginning with Juju Music, Ade began gaining a wide following as Mango Records, a subsidiary of Island Records, released his albums. He was soon billed as the African Bob Marley, and headlined concerts in the US. 1998's Odu, a collection of traditional Yoruba songs, was nominated for a Grammy Award. He 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 Adé Foundation and works with the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria. Adé was the first to introduce the pedal steel guitar to Nigerian pop music after becoming a fan of American country/western tunes.