Could you give us a brief bio on your late father, Pa Femi Esho?
Giving even a brief on my late father might take several pages of writing but just capturing the essence of the man very briefly, I would say he gave his life to serving people, his country and tried to make his mark in a country where people did not cherish what they had. He helped to preserve national identity and ensured that our indigenous music stood the test of time.
He started collecting music from age 12 and today, like the world is saying, everybody is saying, he is the largest collector of music, not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa.
He was also loved by his family, his children, he was a great father, role model, respected for his personality, creativity, enigma, hard work and vision.
Did you ever ask him what prompted him to start music collection at age 12?
Well, the flair for music for him was an inborne trait, more like a talent and passion. He started music at a very young age as a church choir keyboardist and also had his own band at less than 14. He later disbanded and served as Governor Mobolaji Johnson’s secretary.
All the while he collected the materials, it was like childplay to him and he never knew it would blossom heavily.
How did Evergreen Musical Company start and what was the motive behind its set-up?
It was basically to promote and preserve our cultural heritage beyond the fact that it was a company that also needed to make money. If not for someone like my dad, perhaps today we would no longer hear music of the old legends. Do not forget that when majority of the old musicians were growing up, setting up their record labels, they had lots of issues that would have made them forgotten because as their record labels were dying, they were also dying.
Now with your dad’s exit, what next level are you taking Evergreen Musical Company to?
Yes, we have a collaboration with MFM General Overseer, Rev D.K Olukoya to build one of the biggest music museums in Africa consisting of many appendages, a music empire of some sort that nobody has ever pioneered in Nigeria.
Now that Pa Esho is no more, we are happy that he saw it, believed in it, shared in its dream and also wholeheartedly supported it. Its now about us all as a nation, inclusive of those he had impacted on, to make the dream and legacy come to pass.
Now we have a place to display everything Nigerian in music form from 1914 till date so that even children yet unborn and the ones already growing can call and know everything about music.
Beyond this, we also plan to let the young ones understand music to the core as what we have today cannot be called music as today musicians are just busy making money while unable to stand the test of time.
Can we be talking of legends of today in the next twenty or thirty years as we are now talking of the older generation? No!!!
That’s the poser Evergreen Musical Company stands to solve!!!
And finally, what is the greatest quality of Pa Esho that you would wish to take a cue from and remember all through your life?
Humility, my dad was a very humble man who taught his children and wards to imbibe humility and another quality I would add is Integrity.