A highlife band from Eastern Nigeria, the original Orientals were formed by the Opara brothers Warrior, Dan Satch and Godwin Kabaka in 1972. By the end of the decade, the group had released 20 albums. In 1977, Godwin Kabaka left to form the Kabaka International Guitar Band, and the Orientals continued under the leadership of Warrior and Dan Satch. In 1980, Warrior also left, to form Dr Sir Warrior And The Original Oriental Brothers.
Three years later, the original line-up got back together to record the album, Onye Nwe Ala, before Warrior and Godwin Kabaka left once more to re-establish their own groups. A new audience opened up for the band with the 1991 release of Heavy On The Highlife, a furious compilation documenting fifteen years of spirited performances.
Now let’s talk about the engine gearbox behind this group Dede Dr. Sir. Warrior, named by his parents as Christogonus Ezebuiro Obinna. Born In 1947 In Imo State, Nigeria and he died on 2 June 1999, Dr. Sir Warrior, was the leader of the Oriental Brothers International Band which was famous in Igbo highlife music scene for several decades. He performed primarily in Nigeria, as well as performing internationally in places such as London and the United States of America.
Dr. Sir Warrior was able to transform his performance into a successful career in the 1970s when he joined the Oriental Brothers International Band. The band later splintered, leading to Prince Ichita & the Great Oriental Brothers International Band, Oriental Brothers International, and then the original Dr. Sir Warrior & His Oriental Brothers International, simply called The Oriental Original. He had about 12 platinum and 10 gold hits in his career.
The Oriental Brothers International Band was the first Nigerian highlife boy band formed after the devastating three years Nigeria civil war that ruined the Eastern Nigeria where the boys hailed from.
Hence their name “Oriental” having come from the east. They started as an in-house band at Easy Going Hotels in Owerri owned by Chief James “Ewele” Azubuike. The Oriental Brothers were originally five members namely: Godwin Kabaka Opara, Ferdinand Dansatch Emeka Opara, Livinus Akwilla Alaribe, Fred “Ichita” Ahumaraeze and Christogonus Ezebuiro “Warrior” Obinna.
The first split within the group occurred in 1977 when founding member and the first leader of the band, Godwin Opara left to start his own bands after a dispute under the moniker Kabaka International Guitar Band and was replaced with Aloysius Anyanwu, a former guitarist with Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe’s Nigerian Sound Makers Band and a founding member of the Ikenga Super Stars band after they left Osadebe’s band.
Later Ichita and Livinus Akwila Alaribe equally left the band to form another group called the Great Oriental Band. In 1978 a mistrust and copyright issue ensued between Dansatch/Warrior on one side and Aloysius Anyanwu on the other which ended in a libel action.
The acrimonious dispute led Aloysius Anyanwu too leaving the band to go solo as Aloy Anyanwu and His State Brothers Band. So that left only Dansatch and Warrior as the only remaining founding members.
They recruited freelance musicians around Owerri and some migrant musicians from Ghana to relaunch the band after many exists. They had hit after hit after this reshuffling. Yet again dispute emerged between Dansatch and Warrior over the future shape of the band regarding artistic style.
So after their 1980 hit album “Obi Nwanne” both men parted ways. Warrior retained the core of the band’s musicians and named himself “Dr Sir Warrior & His Oriental Brothers International Band. While Dansatch continued as Oriental Brothers International Band led by Ferdinand Emeka Opara.
Though each of the groups had their distinct sound, they all shared a passion for blending Eastern Africa region’s Congolese guitar rhythm blended with traditional Igbo percussional rhythms. According to the Igbo magazine Kwenu, “the Oriental Brothers played a very important spiritual role in keeping many Igbo sane. They were the pride of a people traumatized by a war so vicious.
Dr. Sir Warrior was from Umuhu Enyiogugu in Aboh Mbaise local government area of Imo state Nigeria. His name, Obinna, means “Father’s Heart” (God’s Mind).
List of their records
Ihe Chi NyereIkoroOchu Okuko Nwa AdaUwa Atuola M UjoAkwa Uwa (1975)Ana M Ele Chi (1975)Chi Abu Ofu (1975)Nwa Ada Di Mma (1975)Nwaanyi Di Ya Bu Eze (1975)Onye Oma (1975)Onye Si Naani Ya Biri (1975)Onwetereni Nye Ibe Efe (1975)Taxi Driver (1975)Uwa M Ezi Special (1975)Onye Oma Mmadu (1976)Rarama Ndu (1976)Uba Di Iche Iche (1976)A Luta Agbogho (1977)Aku Udo (1977)Ihe E Me Uwa Adi Mma (1977)Ihe Oma (1977)Ihe Onye Eche (1977)Kelee Chi (1977)Murtala Muhammad (1977)Ndidi (1977)Nkwa, Part One (1977)Nkwa, Part Two (1977)Nne Di N’Obi (1977)Nwoke Ezu Ike (1977)Ofu Nnwa (1977)Oke Na Olulu (1977)Onye Ma Uche Chukwu? (1977)Onye Oma Mmadu Na Eji Egbu Ya (1977)Oriental’s Special (1977)Origbu Onye Ozo (1977)Osa Enwe Akwu (1977)Ugwu Mmadu Na Nwanne Ya (1977)Uwa Enwe Mmete (1977)A Ma Onye Bu Onye? (1978)Elu Rie, Ala Rie (1978)Ibe Zi M Ako (1978)Nwanne Awu Enyi (1978)Onye Egbula Onye Agbataobi Ya (1979)Ozo Bu Iwe M (1979)A Na Eri Aku (1980)Ebele Onye Uwa (1980)Hapu M Ka M Biri (1980)I Nye M Ugwu M (1980)Obi Nwanne (1980)Onye Oma Mmadu (1980)Akwamibo (1981)Ebee M Akwa Uwa (1981)Ndo Ma Ike (1981)Onye Obula Zoba Isi Onwe Ya (1981)Onye Oma (1981)Oriental Original (1981)Udo Ka Mma (1981)Chi Awu Otu (1982)Ihe Onye Che (1982)Jide Nke Gi (1982)Ome Mma Special (1982)Onye Boro Chi (1982)Agwo Loro Ibe Ya (1983)Mesaba Ahu (1983)Mmadu Mezie Ndu Ya (1983)Nwa Enwe Nne (1983)Omumu (1983)Onye Ije (1983)Onye Nwa Ala (1983)Ugo Chi Nyere M (1983)Ego Ka Mma N’Okorobia (1984)Ihe E Ji Aku Eme (1984)Ndi Ji Ego (1984)Uwa Di Egwu (1984)Uwa Sef! Part One (1984)Uwa Sef! Part Two (1984)Anyi Di Odo (1985)Chi Na Eme Mma (1985)Nne na Nna (1985)Akaraka (1986)Ndi Adudu (1986)Anyi Abiala (1987)Onye Egbula Nwanne Ya (1987)Lekwe Nu M (1988)Nakwa Echeki (1988)O Ruole (1988)Onye Huru Chi M Anya? (1988)Udo Ndi Oma (1988)Ezi Nwanne (1989)O si na Chi (1989)Heavy On The Highlife (1990)Owerri Wu Oke Mba(remix)(1990)Onye Di Mma N’Azu? (1993)Nke Onye Diri Ya (1993)Warrior Abiala Ozo (1993)Ochichi Nigeria (1994)Ofe Owerri (1994)Omegbu Nwa Ogbenye (1994)Uwa Chiga Achiga (1994)Anyi Ga Ebi (1995)Kwukwaa Eziokwu (1995)Mmanwu Egbu Special (1995)Onye Ike Kwere (1995)Imo & Abia Special (1996)M Noro M Ele Uwa (1996)Obi Ejile Ekwele M (1996)Oko Nke Gi (1996)Orientals Ga Ebi (1996)Who Goes There? (1996)Uwa Bu Nke Onye? (1996)Zik (1996)