Rex Lawson

Rex Lawson.
Image: Photographer not named by source; published by Music In Africa; Music In Africa. CC BY-NC 4.0. Source.

Summary

Rex Lawson, also known as Cardinal Rex, was a Nigerian singer, trumpeter and bandleader prominent in 1960s highlife. His ensemble sound gave unusual prominence to rhythm guitar and alto saxophone alongside the trumpet associated with the bandleader.

Life and career

He developed through bands in Port Harcourt and Lagos, working with musicians including Bobby Benson, Victor Olaiya and Chris Ajilo. By the early 1960s he was leading his own ensemble; Onitsha became an important base for performance. He died in 1971, leaving a catalogue that continued to circulate.

Music and style

Lawson's contribution lay in arrangement and ensemble balance as well as singing and composing. The Foundation account describes rhythm guitar taking a more active role than background accompaniment, and a skilled alto saxophonist receiving solos that another highlife band might have reserved for trumpet. That distribution of musical responsibility helps explain the band's distinctive identity within the wider genre.

Works and performances

'Sawale', 'Ibinabo', 'Jolly Papa' and 'Love Adure' are among the songs identified in the Foundation's retrospective account. Dancing Time No. 3 and the London recordings provide further entry points. These surviving releases make it possible to follow both the vocalist and the orchestration that helped sustain his reputation after his death.