Keziah Jones

Born Olefumi Sanyaolu in Lagos, Nigeria on January 10, 1968, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist is better known as Keziah Jones. The son of Nigerian tribal chieftain and wealthy industrialist Oshodolamu Sanyaolu, he was being prepped to pursue a business career much like his father but after being sent to school in the UK, he switched his attention to music and learned to play the piano before switching to guitar. Dropping out of school, he began busking on the streets of London, where he was discovered by manager Phil Pickett. Changing his name to Keziah Jones, he created his own unique style – Blufunk – which combines blues, funk and Nigerian music. He released his debut album, Blufunk Is a Fact (1992), which charted at number 56 in France. His next album, African Space Craft (1995), charted in Australia and Switzerland and began building international attention. His 1999 album Liquid Sunshine landed him in the Top 40 in France and Switzerland while his Black Orpheus album (2003) was even more successful (number 13 in France, number 22 in Switzerland). In 2008, he issued his most successful album to date, Nigerian Wood, which hit number 4 in France and landed in the Top 40 in Belgium and Switzerland. After the release of Captain Rugged (2013), he pursued other artistic avenues including photography, painting, and film directing. In 2025, Keziah Jones returned to the music world with the album Alive & Kicking, a live release recorded in Lagos, Nigeria.

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