Composer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader Sir Victor Uwaifo was one of the flashiest, most creative, hardest-working Nigerian musicians during the highlife era. The first-ever African recipient of a gold record, Uwaifo built his reputation on flamboyant showmanship, deep mining of legends and songs from his native Edo culture, creating new rhythms (Akwete in particular), and revamping old ones (Ekassa) which he juxtaposed elements from R&B, soul, funk, and psychedelic rock. His long string of hits during the 1960s and '70s -- including the gold-certified "Joromi," in 1965, "Guitar Boy," "Kirikisi," "Iye Iye Oh," "Akwete," "Tisha," and many more -- established his reputation globally and netted him a total of 12 gold records. Uwaifo was also a polymath: He was a sculptor, writer, lecturer, and hotel owner. His many recordings have been anthologized and reissued in several countries.