The importance of Babatunde Olatunji in spreading awareness of
African music throughout the world is incalculable. At a time
when Westerners were exposed to almost nothing of African
culture, Olatunji—he went solely by his surname early in his
career—entered the mass consciousness with an album called Drums
Of Passion. Recorded in 1959, it remains, with over five million
copies sold, one of the most successful African albums of all
time. That Olatunji lived and recorded in the United States at
the time is immaterial—for many, he was the sound and face of
Africa. Born in 1927 in Ajido, a small fishing village in
Nigeria, Olatunji came to America in 1950 to study political
science in Atlanta. In 1954 he transferred to New York
University Graduate School of Public Administration. Already an
accomplished drummer, he arranged for the 66-piece orchestra
African Fantasia to perform at Radio City Music Hall. The show
caught the ear of the legendary Columbia Records talent scout
John Hammond, who heard in him a sound