Popular apala singer, Musiliu Haruna Ishola, has revisited the relationship between him and his late lagendary musician father, Haruna Ishola.
He inherited the art from the old man.
According to him, he was the father’s manager when alive.
Musiliu, who said the man had 22 children, noted that he sent others abroad for study but did not send him..
This made him feel angry, not knowing the plan the old man and destiny had for him.
He said in an interview published in ‘The Punch’:
“I am a son to the late legend, Alhaji Haruna Ishola-Bello. I inherited apala music from my dad who inherited it from his own father. My grandfather also inherited it from his dad.
“I am the fourth generation apala singer in my family. Apala music is stressful. It needs one’s devotion and time. One needs patience to sing that genre of music. That is why there aren’t so many apala musicians.
“I attended Ade Cole Memorial Nursery and Primary school at Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State for my elementary education. I then proceeded to Ijebu Ode Grammar School for my secondary education. I stopped schooling after my father’s death. Before his death, I was his driver and manager. That was how I became vast in apala music. In those days, he sent my siblings abroad but refused to send me but insisted that I should join his line of work. If I didn’t follow him around then, I wouldn’t have been this vast in apala music. He had about 22 children. He died on November 9, 1983, and I formally started my music career on December 9, 1983.
“It was my dad that renamed that style of music to apala. His father and grandfather called it ‘ewele’ music then. However, one day, my dad went to sing at a function and he met a drummer, who played his drum to my dad’s songs. My dad realised that it sounded well, so he decided to team up (with the drummer). Back then, apala music was not accompanied with drums. My dad’s name was ‘Haruna,’while the drummer’s name was ‘Ishola’ and that was what birthed ‘Haruna Ishola.’ After some time, the other man left but the band members stayed with my dad. After he left, my dad retained the name, ‘Haruna Ishola.’
