Oliver De Coque At 74: Google Celebrates His Posthumous Birthday

On his 74th posthumous birthday, Google honored Oliver Sunday Akanite, a Nigerian highlife singer and guitarist best known as Oliver De Coque, with a doodle.

The Google doodle is a unique variation of Google’s logo that is used to celebrate special holidays, activities, accomplishments, and individuals.

Oliver De Coque began his musical career by learning to play the guitar at a young age, and he rose to prominence after an outstanding performance at a 1970 concert put on by Sunny Agaga and his Lucky Star band.

The legendary musician is known for fusing modern West African highlife with a Congolese-influenced guitar style and the vibrant dance elements of Igbo music he grew up with, resulting in Ogene, his own musical style.

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Until his death, the singer established himself as a household name in Africa’s music landscape with strings of awards and recognition.

The doodle, which was created by Lagos-based artist Ohab Tochukwu, depicts the legendary singer carrying a guitar and dressed in his typical Igbo outfit.

Tochukwu revealed in a blog post that the doodle was made to honor the late singer’s heroics, saying that “history hasn’t done anything to honor his memory.”

“Although I’ve always enjoyed Oliver De Coque’s music, I did more research to gain a better understanding of the late artist. Oliver De Coque’s love of the guitar, his energy while playing, his unique style of music, and his love for his tradition and community – all of these things influenced the Doodle art,” he said.

“I believe that Oliver De Coque paved the way for so many African artists of this generation. I also believe that there’s much more to the late high-life artist than we know, and that history hasn’t done enough to honor his memory. My hope is that this Doodle can highlight his story.”