‘I thank God for everything but if I say that I ever envisaged that I would be this great in life, I would be telling a lie. I was just like the Biblical Joseph who did not know how great he would be in life even though he had visions and dreams. I was from a Muslim background. My father was an Alhaji and he built a mosque for the community’.
Born on 12 June 1949, Joseph Adebayo Adelakun was born Amusa Adelakun into a Muslim home, to a polygamous family of Salami Adelakun. He was the only son of his mother who was the fourth out of five wives. He hails from Saki, Oke Ogun, the Northern part of Oyo State, western Nigeria.
Regardless of his Muslim home, he loved music from his childhood and spent most of his time playing drums especially at Baptist Church, Oke Ogun, in Saki. He is from a highly disciplined family, his mother made him hawk foodstuff not because they were so poor, but because it was seen as training. ‘I was raised in a highly disciplined family, the kind of family where you dare not eat your meat till you had finished your meal’ he said.
He was a brilliant young boy, who was also popular in school because of his running skills that won him prizes. Unfortunately, his father died in August 1964 and coming from a family of sixteen children without a father, life became rough. He was admitted into various secondary schools, but could not attend any due to lack of funds. This led him to begin apprenticeship in Kareem Electrical Engineering Service, where he worked from 1966 to 1968.
He joined the Nigerian Army in 1969 after meeting his friend who taught him how to smoke. He completed his training in Abeokuta depot as a Nigerian Army Engineer and was posted to the Nigerian army engineering regiment in Ede, Osun State. He met Christ in 1972, on his way back from getting Indian hemp with his friends when they decided to stop at a Christ Apostolic Church ongoing Revival Service headed by Prophet S.O. Akande (Baba Abiye).
That night, he had a dream “I heard someone speak to me in a loud voice saying, ‘I am the person you came to meet and if you allow me I would make you great. I am taking you to great places. I am Jesus whom you know as the Prophet Isah.’ I rebuked the dream” he said. He shared this with his friends and they laughed at him. Gradually, he started going to church, he stopped smoking, drinking, gave his life to Christ, changed his name to Joseph and the Lord began to show him revelations.
In 1976, he was transferred to Kaduna where he became musically active. He fellowshipped with C.A.C Kawo, joined the Choir and also composed music for the Church choir. He released several albums before he resigned from the Nigerian Army at the Command Staff College Jaji, Nigeria, in 1982 to pursue his musical career fully. Joseph Adebayo gathered five people with him to form a band popularly known as ‘Ayewa International Gospel Singers’.
He joined C.A.C in Lagos, became one of the choristers under the tutelage of Evangelist D.K. Bankole. He became famous for his album titled ‘Amona tete maa bo’, released in 1984. He remained in the Church and was ordained a pastor in 1989 and in 1999 he became the Assistant General Superintendent (A.G.S.)
Pastor Adelakun is still in the business of evangelizing and winning souls through his music. He has taken the Gospel to all parts of the World and has received awards on several grounds including the ‘Evergreen Award’ at the Crystal Awards in 2014.
When asked about when he would retire from music, he said: ‘Do people retire salt from soup? Until I die and God says it is time for me to come home, I would continue to sing. I love music a lot. Although I am a minister in CAC, the retirement age in the Church is 75, I am praying to clock 75 years on time so that I can face my music squarely. I don’t think I can retire from music’.
He is married to Mrs. Clara O. Adelakun and the union is blessed with four children: Emmanuel, Josiah, Christiana and Joseph. Over the years, he has not once neglected his calling of reaching out to people in music and catering for those in need.
He moved from a Muslim boy, to a man of relevance in the Christian community and became not just a person of influence, but also a voice that stands out, God bless you sir!
SOURCES:
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