Rex lawson - love mu adure
- •
Rex Jim Lawson
Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, born Erekeosima Rex Jim Lawson, was a legendary highlife musician, trumpeter, and bandleader who dominated the African music scene in the 1960s. Known for his soulful compositions and emotional performances, Lawson is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of highlife music in Nigeria and across Africa. His ability to sing in multiple Nigerian languages and dialects made his music accessible to a wide audience. Hits like Sawale, So Ala Teme, and Jolly Papa solidified his place in history as one of Nigeria’s most celebrated musicians.
Table of Contents
Early Life and Background
Rex Lawson was born into a tumultuous household. As the fourth child, he was given the name Erekeosima, meaning “do not name this one,” reflecting his father’s belief that he would not survive infancy due to the early deaths of his siblings. His survival against the odds shaped his resilient character.
During his early years, Lawson suffered from smallpox, prompting his mother to seek traditional treatments outside the Kalabari region
- •
Empathy is the mark of great artistes and Lawson’s artistry was not lacking in this. It was present in the adroit instrumentals of his best songs, and in the raw emotions audible in his vocals.
By Chimezie Chika
Erekosima or He Who Shall Not Be Named
The story goes that in Buguma, within the thousand rivers of the Niger Delta, a father named his son “Erekosima”, which translates to “he who shall not be named”— a name that cleverly circumvents the very art of naming. The father believed that this particular son could possibly not stay long in this world, because he had previously lost three sons in infancy. Perhaps on the basis of the son’s untimely death at 32 along the Warri-Sapele road on 16 January 1971, who is to say he did not prove his father right?
The son we speak of here is none other than Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson (“Rex”, being a clipping of “Erekosima”), one of Nigeria’s legendary Highlife musicians. Whatever his father’s fears had been when he cried his way out into the world on March 4, 1938, as a soft bundle of flesh and umbilicus, Lawson’s name has b
- •
Rex Lawson
Nigerian high life musician
Rex Lawson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Erekeosima Lawson (1938-03-04)4 March 1938 Buguma, British Nigeria[1] |
| Died | 16 January 1971(1971-01-16) (aged 32) Asaba-Benin Road, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Other names | Pastor Rex Lawson, Cardinal Rex Lawson |
| Spouse | Regina Rex Lawson |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | highlife |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Trumpet and saxophone |
| Years active | Late 1950s – Early 1970s |
Musical artist | |
Rex Jim Lawson (4 March 1938 – 16 January 1971),[2] known as Cardinal Rex, was a singer, trumpeter and bandleader from Buguma in present Rivers State, Nigeria. He became one of the best-known highlife musicians of the 1960s in Africa when Cardinal and his band dominated Nigeria's highlife scene.
Early life
Rex Lawson was born in 1938 in Buguma, Nigeria to a Kalabari chieftain father and an Igbo mother from Owerri. He was given the name Erekeosima which translates to "do not name this one" due to his father's belief that he would not live p
Copyright ©boottry.pages.dev 2025