Blo fused the Afrobeat rhythms of their native Nigeria with the mind-expanding psychedelia and funk of late-'60s rock to forge a wholly original sound embracing the full spectrum of Black music. The roots of the group lay in the Clusters, one of the most popular Nigerian highlife acts of the mid-'60s and sometimes-support band for the Sierra Leone pop superstar Geraldo Pino, once dubbed "the West African James Brown." In 1970, guitarist Berkely "Ike" Jones, bassist Mike "Gbenga" Odumosu, and drummer Laolu "Akins" Akintobi left the Clusters to join Afrocollection with twin sisters Kehinde and Taiwo Lijadu (featured a decade later on the British television show The Tube), moving away from their highlife roots to explore a more pronounced Afro-Rock approach. In late 1972, Jones, Odumosu, and Akintobi formed Blo, touring relentlessly in the months to come prior to recording their EMI Nigeria label debut Chapter One.