Celestine Ukwu: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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==Life==

Ukwu was born in [[Enugu]], the capital city of [[Enugu State]], southeastern [[Nigeria]] to music-oriented parents. His father was a local performer of the igede, ikpa and ode genres of Igbo music while his mother was lead singer in a women's musical group. At a young age, he began learning how to read music and play the [[harmonium]] with the help of his uncle. Upon completing his primary school education, he went to teacher training school for two years but dropped out to pursue music as a career. He went on to join [[Mike Ejeagha]]'s group Paradise Rhythm Orchestra in 1962 at Enugu as a vocalist and maraca player before he left to join Mr. Picolo's band who were touring the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] at the time.<ref name="Collins1985">{{cite book|author=John Collins|title=Musicmakers of West Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yIHfybGz5HoC&pg=PA51|year=1985|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|isbn=978-0-89410-075-8|pages=51–}}</ref> He returned to Nigeria to form his own band known as Celestine Ukwu & His Music Royals of Nigeria in 1966 which was later disbanded in 1967 following the outbreak of the [[Nigerian Civil War]], before releasing a song at the outbreak of the war titled 'Hail Biafra'. After the war, Ukwu formed another group, Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National; with whom he released several albums, including ''Igede Fantasia'' which did well commercially.<ref name="Ogbechie2012">{{cite book|author=Mike Uriel Ogbechie|title=ECLIPSE AT NOONDAY: Biafra, DIARIES OF UNWRITTEN STORIES|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xRdRAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT29|date=12 January 2012|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=978-1-4691-3809-1|page=29}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}

== Personal Life ==

Celestine Ukwu married Josephine Uzoyibo Ukwu and was blessed with a daughter Cynthia born seven months after his demise<ref>{{Cite news |title=Celestine Ukwu’s only child speaks on a father she never met |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/03/celestine-ukwus-only-child-speaks-on-a-father-she-never-met/ |work=Vanguard News}}</ref>

==Artistry==

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==See also==

* [[List of Igbo people]]

* [[:Category:Igbo musicians]]

* [[:Category: 20th-century Nigerian singers]]

* [[:Category: 20th-century Nigerian male singers]]

* [[List of Igbo people]]

* [[List of Nigerian musicians]]