Album Notes

The Artist:

Amadanyo Oguara II was born on June 30, 1961 in the Nembe Kingdom of Southern Nigeria, West Africa. He is the eighth of ten children born to Emily and Amadanyo (Mathew-Turner) Oguara Sr. The name Amadanyo means “You shall be King.” Oguara is a Benin word, and the name of a prince of an old-time Benin Kingdom. The name was adopted by the Oguara of Nembe, and hence the coined phrase Oba Togu Oguara - “Son Of A King.”

His Music:
Amadanyo is a prolific songwriter, composer, and music arranger. He is a versatile, soulful, and enchanting singer of Afro-Pop (contemporary pop music with an Afro-Hip-Hop flavor) as well as Nembe chants - songs in his native tongue. Amadanyo’s music is a crafty blend of modern-western and traditional African influences that is geared toward reaching a global audience. Amadanyo is also an energetic, creative dancer and showman. Like his great inspirer Harry Belafonte, Amadanyo not only sings and dances, but likes to combine a theatrical element to his music. Writing songs and adapting them for stage are synonymous for him.

Origins:
Amadanyo began his music career in 1993 producing, managing, and performing with a Seattle-based rap group called Just Us and an R&B group called Project. A CD single titled “Wake Up” performed by Just US was released in 1994. In 1995, the CD by Project titled “Project” was released. After his departure from these groups in 1998, Amadanyo went solo, moving on to mold himself into an afro-pop and world music artist. He has since released an afro-pop demo titled “Amadanyo,” a three-song demo CD (1998) and a newly-released 14-song CD titled “Voices From the Mangrove” (2005).

Influences:
Deep Forest, Enigma, Enya, Delirium, and Robbie Robertson.

Label:
Amadanyo owns and operates his own personal record label, A & C Records, which he established in 1993. All CDs he has released have been under this label.

Management:
Amadanyo currently manages and self-promotes but is looking for opportunities to form partnership with capable management or record labels.

Miscellaneous:
Amadanyo is currently working with independent musicians for his live performances. Amadanyo has had writer and publisher membership with BMI since 1994. He is married with three daughters and one son.