REVIEWS | EXCERPT | CONTENTS | AUTHOR BIO | SUBJECT CATEGORIESThe story of how Drums of Passion introduced Americans to West African music The Beat of My DrumAn AutobiographySearch the full text of this bookBabatunde Olatunji with Robert Atkinson and Akinsola Akiwowo, foreword by Joan Baez, introduction by Eric Charry
Babatunde Olatunji's record album Drums of Passion proclaimed that the time had come for America to recognize Africa's cultural contributions to the music world. Through his many albums and live performances, the Nigerian drummer popularized West African traditional music and spread his message of racial harmony. In this long-awaited autobiography, Olatunji presents his life story and the philosophy that guided him. Olatunji influenced and inspired musicians for more than forty yearsfrom luminaries to music students and the many ordinary people who participated in his drum circles. He writes about rhythm being "the soul of life," and about the healing power of the drum. Ultimately, The Beat of My Drum shows why at the time of his death in 2003, Olatunji had become, according to The New York Times, "the most visible African musician in the United States." ExcerptReviews"Baba has spread his rhythm seeds far and wide and now we have many new crops in our garden of rhythm thanks to his vision and passion."
"Few involved with hand drumming in the United States have not been touched in some way by Baba, as he was called by those who knew him. He instilled pride in generations of African Americans; he stimulated a popular renaissance in African drumming and dance in the United States; he provided cultural education for black youth across the country; he introduced mainstream America to African drumming; and he spread worldwide messages of peace and love through drumming. These are just some of the more resounding aspects of Olatunji's legacy, which has touched so many of us."
"Featuring an excellent introduction that places Olatunji in the context of music history...this accessible book is highly recommended for all African and world music collections."
"This book is unmistakably a portrait of a committed, accomplished man, a great man, in some respects a role model for us all.... [a] fascinating explanation of what it was that influenced him and drove him to greatness."
"[A]n absorbing read that highlights [Olatunji's] sometimes-forgotten role in the Civil Rights movement, as well as his groundbreaking musical career."
"The book is intertwined with vivid descriptions of Olatunji growing up in the Yoruba traditions of Nigeria, his early introduction to Jim Crow in Atlanta during the 1950s, his student leadership in the early Civil Rights Movement, his move to Harlem, and his fascinating career as a musician."
"The text is a fascinating memoir of Olatunji's intriguing career."
"In this beguiling autobiography, Olatunji traces his life... [he] writes with humor, passion and occasional bitterness as he delineates both his successes and disappointments over the years... The Beat Of My Drum is an inspiring book that makes a convincing case for a prominent place for Olatunji among the social and artistic leaders of the last half of the 20th century."
"If you would like to be motivated and enriched by a true life's accounting of an African drummer with the mission of cultural understanding, human rights, civil rights, and social justice, you won't be able to put this book down."
"...remarkable... This excellent autobiography, among other things, tells what it was like being black in America in [Olatunji's] lifetime, a life that included numerous successes, gaining respect and admiration from his colleagues and friends."
"[A] nice memoir of aspects of the development of the world music genre. It is also an interesting...account of pan-Africanism and the American civil rights movement, as Babatunde Olatunji inserts himself, Gump-like, into every major happening in the twentieth century.... [T]he book is delightful when Olatunji expresses wonder at the world and its possibilities."
ContentsForeword Joan Baez
Part I: Learning the Rhythm
Part II: Adapting to a New Rhythm
Part III: Passing the Rhythm On
Afterword Robert Atkinson
About the Author(s)
Robert Atkinson is Director, Center for the Study of Lives at the University of Southern Maine. Subject CategoriesBiography/Memoir/Autobiography
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