Even seven years after his demise in 1996, Isaiah Kehinde Dairo's popularity is still assuming legendary proportions. His music is being rekindled in the minds of his fans and all, courtesy of his son, Paul Play, whose revitalized version of his fathers "Mosorire," a list from the sixties is presently at the top of popularity rating.

All this goes to show that Dairo was a remarkable artiste. But his musical career remains one of the most professionally fulfilling in that with little or no education to enhance and boost his talent, Dairo did not only succeed in attaining the enviable height of his musical pursuit, ironically he also ended up playing the intellectual role of a well informed musicologist when towards the end of his career in 1994, he was invited to teach African music, with special bias for the use of African instruments of the Ethnomusicology Department, University of Washington.

However, Dairo blazed into prominence on Independence in 1960 when he introduced the accordion to juju music. But he actually began to make recognizable impact in 1958 with a new approach, a new perspective to juju music. Dairo sounded rather simple in his approach, bringing it close to the prevailing highlife format of the guitar dominated type in terms of rhythmic configuration. But his melodies were long-winding and repetitive as he moved from one chorus to the other. He sounded different.

Aside from being influenced by prevailing juju music of such pioneers as Ojoge Daniel, who was also his mentor, Dairo was greatly inspired by the highlife of E-T. Mensah, Bobby Benson, Victor Olaiya and even Ghana's Ramblers Dance Band whose rhythms and melodies became intuitively integrated as veritable elements for fusion.

One of Dairo's greatest assets was his ability to write songs. Dairo boosted his simple approach to juju music with lyrics and messages that immediately endeared him to his fans, especially as the central theme was love and the fear of God. He also composed prayerful songs, words of advice and tunes that depicted great philosophy. A highly spiritual artiste, Dairo also prophesized and extolled the virtues of society, little wonder he was nick-named "Baba Aladura" which literally means "a prayerful father."

However, love songs about women, their beauty and elegant manners appeared to dominate his repertoire in the sixties: "I sing of women and love because these two are key factors in our lives," he once said. "No matter what, you cannot do without women and love in your life, for someone who cannot feel in his heart some sweet taste of love is dead."

First recorded in the sixties, "Salome" is regarded as perhaps his best seller; and is a tribute to a woman whose beauty he admires. But hits such as "Elele ture," "Iku ye lori mi," "Ijo Olomo," "kulubu yeye" "kekere nke" carry varying messages ranging from social commentary and exhortation to the extolling of goodness, and philosophy.

A great innovator, he started the process of transforming juju music from its traditional setting to an urban social music type which could compare with highlife - even though it was Ebenezer Obey who eventually accomplished this evolution.

The award of Member of the British Empire (MBE)which he earned in 1963 is perhaps the greatest honour done to Dairo (who also cherished it as the greatest thing that ever came his way. Dairo was the leading juju music artiste in the early sixties while Victor Olaiya dominated the highlife scene. The Queen of England had come to handover self-rule to the Nigerian nation after years of remaining under the yoke of British imperialism. And Dairo's music had attracted much attention.
In 1965, on return from London where he had performed at Westminster Theatre in appreciation of the honour done him by the Queen of England, he was nominated to participate at the World Negro Arts Festival held in Dakar, Senegal.

The 1970s was a flourishing decade for Dairo who took over Afro Spot, Yaba, where Fela previously performed on return from America in 1970. Apart from being a strategic venue, Dairo became involved in the affairs of the Juju Music Union which he had.
A record label owner, Dairo turned out hit albums including "Salome 71 Special" and "Kekere nke" among many others. His music had received a big boost with the introduction of the bass guitar and high voltage amplification.

In 1972, Dairo was elected by the world jury to participate in the finals of the World Popular Songs Festival in Tokyo, Japan in recognition of his performance as one of the best 16 musicians from all over the world. He later taught African Music in America in 1994.

Dairo was born at Offa, Kwara State of Nigeria in 1930. Unable to complete his elementary school, he moved to his home town, Ijebu Ijesha in Ogun State of Nigeria to start working as an apprentice barber. But because by nature there was music in his blood, he learnt to make and play local drums.

Later he decided to face music squarely and joined Ojoge Daniel, one of the early great exponents of juju music at Ibadan, the Oyo State capital of Nigeria. He graduated from this band in 1957 after ten years of apprenticeship as a sideman to form his own group.