Africa 70

Africa 70 was the band of Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti through the 1970s, the group with which he developed Afrobeat. It grew out of Koola Lobitos, renamed Nigeria 70 during a 1969 stay in Los Angeles, and took the name Africa 70 back in Nigeria, as Fela's lyrics turned from love songs to social and political subjects. Drummer Tony Allen (1940-2020) was its musical director. Fela had first led Koola Lobitos while studying in London and re-formed it after returning to Nigeria, with Allen joining after an audition in the mid-1960s.