Former Nyandarua North MP JM Kariuki who was assasinated in 1975 set up African Eagles Recordings Limited, a record label that had 3 wildly popular artists as its directors; Daudi Kabaka, Gabriel Omolo and Nashil Pichen.
The 3 artists, alongside Fadhili Williams, had been members of the legendary Equator Sound Band until they fell out with the owner Charles Worrod in 1968 over the poor remuneration they were receiving.
Ever the astute businessman, Kariuki started African Eagles and made Kabaka, Omolo and Pichen its directors while he took up the position of Chairman.
Lunchtime hitmaker Omolo, who was the first Kenyan artist to sell 150,000 copies of a single, revealed in a 2013 interview that JM's assasination was a huge blow to the artists.
“J.M was really keen on promoting us and he offered all the facilities we required to succeed. His violent death in 1975 was not just a blow to the politics of the country but it also marked the end of the company he had formed with the best musicians in the country,” he stated.
[caption caption="JM Kariuki"]
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JM's Press Secretary Oliver Litondo used to help the artists plan for new recordings and performances.
“J.M remained as chairman while the musicians were free to run the company and I would help them plan their recordings, rehearsals and concerts,” he stated.
Omolo formed Apollo Komesha 71 band and recorded Lunchtime, a hit song that talked about the difficulty workers went through to make ends meet such that they could only afford nice lunches at the end of the month.
Following the single's international success, Phonogram Records vice-president Joop Buinink flew to Nairobi in 1974 where a golden plaque was handed to Omolo by the then Permanent Secretary for Information and Broadcasting John Ithau.
Omolo passed away at the Busia Referral Hospital on January 3rd.
[caption caption="A copy of Gabriel Omolo's Lunchtime single"]
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