Tony Oladipo Allen (20 July 1940 – 30 April 2020) was a Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter who lived and worked in Paris, France. He is best known for being Fela Kuti's drummer and founding the genre of afrobeat.
Role in Gorillaz[]
Tony Allen was featured on the track How Far? from the deluxe edition of [[Gorillaz]' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez alongside rapper Skepta. The song was released as a tribute to Allen, who passed away on 30 April 2020. He had also contributed with additional drums to the song Sumthin Like This Night by Snoop Dogg in collaboration with Gorillaz, from Snoop's eleventh studio album Doggumentary from 2011.[1]
Musical Career[]
Allen was the drummer of Fela KutiW's band Africa '70 for more than 20 years, and was one of the founders of the AfrobeatW genre of music. He was also the drummer of The Good, The Bad & The Queen, a group that consisted of Damon Albarn and other Gorillaz contributors, Paul Simonon and Simon Tong. He was also a member of the project Rocket Juice And The Moon, with Damon Albarn and Flea, and also performed with Africa Express. Allen was one of the primary co-founders of the genre of afrobeat music.
Trivia[]
- Allen was mentioned in the lyrics Music is My Radar, a 2000 Blur single where Damon Albarn sings, "Tony Allen, got me dancing"[2]
- This mention landed Albarn a collaboration with Allen for his 2002 album Homecooking, on the track Every Season.[3]
Gallery[]
