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King Sunny Ade Interview While Being Chauffeured In His ‘Gold’ Rolls-Royce In 1984
Young King Sunny Ade in his 30s being interviewed by a reporter while being chauffeured in his Rolls-Royce in London in 1984.
The Silver Spur is a long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit, produced by Rolls-Royce Motors from 1980 to 2000.
The purchase made the juju singer and multi-instrumentalist the “first Nigerian musician to own a Rolls-Royce.”
King Sunny Ade’s acquisition of the hand-built Rolls-Royce Silver Spur luxury sedan will later be tagged by many as a show off.
Nigerian juju singer and multi-instrumentalist, Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, known professionally as King Sunny Ade, is regarded as one of the first African pop musicians to gain international success.
Sunny Ade’s unique sound and instrumental attracted Island Records, a multinational record label, who wanted another third world artist to put on its contract, after the death of raggae legend, Bob Marley.
Sunny Ade’s brief period of recordings with Island Records led to the release of Juju Music in 1982, an album that shot him to stardom and of course enough money that allowed him acquire a luxury Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan.
The Silver Spur is a long-wheelbase version of the Silver Spirit, produced by Rolls-Royce Motors from 1980 to 2000.
A video shot in 1984 shows a young Sunny Ade being interviewed by a reporter from the Ear Say, Channel 4 while being chauffeured in his ‘Gold’ Rolls-Royce Silver Spur.
But Sunny Ade’s acquisition of Rolls-Royce in his 30s will later be tagged as a show off as the expensive purchase made him the “first Nigerian musician to own a Rolls-Royce.”
“From that point it became history that I was the first Nigerian musician to own a Rolls Royce. People thought I did it intentionally because I want to show off”, according to excerpts from the book : KSA : My Life, My Music by King Sunny Ade.
Speaking on why he purchased the Rolls-Royce, Sunny Ade said he felt insulted after being told to get taxi by himself when he asked for a car hire while at Island Record office in London.
“I went to Island Record office in London that very morning and when we finished discussions I said, “Can you help me call a car hire?” And someone said, “Go across the street, you’d see a black cab”.
Rolls-Royce Silver Spur
Honestly, from my own personal ignorance, I felt insulted. I said, “Me, go across the street for taxi?”
They said, “yes, all big artistes, Bob Marley, they all go across the street to take black cabs”. I was so mad.
“Looking back, I think I was a little bit impatient because I allowed what I felt was a poor treatment meted out to me earlier to affect my decision. But it was pure ignorance.”
