How many of you went to India Gate for the Osibisa concert? ?

Hands up, who all went to see these guys at India Gate in 1981? “Osibisa Unleashed” was the biggest pop music event ever held in Delhi (and in Bombay, Bangalore, Calcutta and Madras). It was marketed by Campa-Cola (who remembers drinking that?!!). I remember absolutely loving the group for two reasons. Firstly the infectious happiness of their music and….the absolutely fabulous name of the drummer –Daku Potato!!

Osibisa’s roots stretch back to Ghana. Teddy Osei, founder & leader of the band, played the sax in his band there before moving to London to study music. In 1969 he set up Osibisa with his some Ghanian and West Indian musicians, and they were an instant success with songs like Sunshine Day, Dance The Body Music and Ojah Awake. They had UK Top-10 hits through the 70s, and their live shows became legendary. That’s when they came to India and became the first band to actually do a proper tour across the country. We embraced them thanks to the tour, which even led to a smash hit album of their live recordings, released only in India by EMI. And then, just as suddenly, in the early 1980s, they were out of fashion. However, they still have a loyal following and despite having undergone multiple line-ups, are still playing today. Osibisa have been a huge influence on African music and there’s a ton of artists today who can trace their musical roots back to them.