In the history of Jùjú music in Nigeria, Sabiu Ayinde Bakare Ajikobi is one of the names that contributed to the longevity of the genre for his commitment to making music his way of life, with an unwavering focus on maintaining the quality of the music genre.

Ayinde Bakare, who would later earn “Mr Juju” as a widely accepted stage name, was born in 1912 at Okesuna Lafiaji area of Lagos into the family of a soldier, Pa Bakare Ajikobi, an indigene of Ilorin, from Ajikobi Compound, Kwara State.

He started his education at St. Mathias Catholic School, Lafiaji, where he received formal knowledge before he started working as an apprentice boatbuilder with the old Marine Department in Lagos. Records also indicated that he worked for the Public Works Department (PWD) in the early 1930s before his music career fully took off.

In the early 1930s, Ayinde Bakare made a significant move into music when he decided to learn under the Juju pioneer, Tunde King, after he watched him and his band play at an engagement; it was there that he was taught how to play the guitar and mentored in the emerging Jùjú style. He did not stop there; he also brushed his music skills by spending time as a student under the early Jùjú musician, Alabi Labilu.

After completing his musical training in 1935, Mr. Juju formed his first band, which he later called Meranda after the film Miranda, consisting of four members, focusing on vocals, banjo ukulele, shekere, and juju drums. By 1949, the band grew to seven members, and by 1959 to eight, consisting of electric guitar, shekere, juju, two varieties of conga (akuba and ogido), gangan, and two supporting vocalists.

In 1949, Bakare transitioned from playing the banjo-ukulele to adopting the amplified guitar, a move that is widely regarded as a pioneering step in juju music, as he is believed to be the first juju musician to introduce its use. Through such innovations, Ayinde Bakare played a crucial role in shaping the mainstream sound of juju music in Nigeria in the post-World War II era. Even after his apprenticeship, Bakare maintained a close bond with Tunde King. During World War II, they performed together on the front lines, entertaining troops alongside other notable musicians such as Tunde Nightingale and Ambrose Campbell.

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Some of the notable qualities and nature of Ayinde Bakare were that he maintained a consistent band lineup, prioritized original compositions over borrowing from other groups, and remained committed to preserving the traditional essence of his music, firmly believing that continuity would ultimately enhance its quality.

In 1937, he had his first official recordings with the label His Master’s Voice (HMV). One of his notable tracks was Layinka Sapara, a praise song dedicated to the daughter of Oguntola Sapara; on the other side of the track was Ajibabi, which, unlike Layinka, was played with the more popular Sakara sound.

Between the 1950s and 1960s, Ayinde Bakare earned himself “Mr. Juju” as a nickname following the quality of his music, which was widely accepted by the socialites across Yorubaland, most especially in Lagos and Ibadan.

With the success he recorded, Bakare took his music outside the country in 1957 when he visited and toured Britain. Recordings he and his Meranda Orchestra made in London at that time were issued as singles in Britain by Melodisc Records and were later compiled as an album, Live the Highlife, released in 1968.

Some of his many records include the 1968 LP Live the Highlife (Melodisc MLPAS 12-140): Tribute to the late J. K. Randle / Eko Akete (Lagos Akete) / Adura Fun Awon Aboyun (Prayer for the Pregnant Women) / Ibikunle Alakija / Iwalewa (Your Manner is Your Beauty) / Ore Otito O Si (There’s no true friend) / Mo b’eru Aiye (I fear the humanity) / Ile Aiye Ile Asan (Life is vanity upon vanity) / Agboola Odunekan / Olabisi Arobieke / Akambi Balogun.

Ayinde Bakare’s innovations, along with the influence of his band, created a lasting blueprint for many of the figures now regarded as legends in juju music, including King Sunny Adé (KSA), Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, Tunde Nightingale, Ayinla Omowura, and Ambrose Campbell, among others. His efforts to elevate jùjú music from informal street performances to elite social settings in Lagos marked a turning point for the genre, an advancement later refined and expanded by Obey and KSA. Bakare also perfected the technique of incorporating a patron’s genealogy into songs, a practice that has since become a defining feature of jùjú music.

In 1972, he died under mysterious circumstances following a performance at a wedding in Lagos. During a break at the event, Bakare was called backstage and did not return. Three days later, his body was discovered floating in the Lagos Lagoon. Although the police suspected foul play and a coroner’s inquest was conducted, the official ruling attributed his death to drowning. Suspicion was cast on two members of his band who had reportedly expressed grievances over low pay, but no conclusive evidence was found to establish their involvement.