The band originally had five members:

The band originally had five members:

The Oriental Brothers International Band was the first Nigerian highlife group formed after the devastating three-year civil war that left the East, where they came from, in ruins. Their name, “Oriental,” reflects their roots in the East. The band started as an in-house band at Easy Going Hotels in Owerri, owned by Chief James “Ewele” Azubuike. They became famous, lasting decades in the Igbo Highlife music scene, touring Africa and beyond.

The band originally had five members:

• Godwin Kabaka Opara
• Ferdinand Dansatch Emeka Opara
• Livinus Akwilla Alaribe
• Fred Ahumaraeze
• Chris Ezebuiro Obinna, popularly known as Dr. Sir Warrior

In 1977, the band experienced its first split when founding member and leader Godwin Opara left to start his own band. Livinus and Fred followed, leaving Dansatch and Sir Warrior to continue. They recruited freelance musicians from Owerri and migrants from Ghana, leading to a string of hits.

After their 1980 hit album “Obi Nwanne,” a disagreement between Dansatch and Sir Warrior caused them to part ways. Sir Warrior kept the core of the band’s musicians and renamed the band “Dr. Sir Warrior & His Oriental Brothers International Band,” while Dansatch continued as “Oriental Brothers International Band” led by Ferdinand Emeka Opara. Though they had distinct sounds, both bands shared a love for blending Eastern Africa’s Congolese guitar rhythms with traditional Igbo percussion.

The Oriental Brothers played a significant role in uplifting the spirits of the Igbo people after the war, becoming a source of pride. Warrior, one of the most influential musicians from the East, introduced the “Oyorima” concept, an Igbo word that means a refined feeling of rhythmic movement and balance.

Some of their hits include “Kelechi,” “Ibezim Akor,” “Amaghim Onye wu Onye,” “Nwanyi Di Ya wu Eze,” “Onye Si Nani Ya Biri,” “Nwa Ada Di Mma,” “Obi Nwanne,” “Ozo wu Iwe m,” “Anam Ele Chi,” “Ochichi Nigeria,” “Ofe Owerri,” and many others.

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