TONY GREY, GOODNIGHT

By Gab Ejuwa  

It was Williams Shakespeare who once said “…in my stars I am above thee but be not afraid of greatness.  Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
In relation to this, Anthony Grey, alias Ozimba or Tony Grey as the name was popularly shortened, was certainly a Deltan, a Nigerian and an individual who achieved greatness by hard work, great vision and zeal for excellence in his choosing profession of music in spite of the fact of not being born great.

Tony Grey

I first set my eyes on this quintessential showbiz personality, known for starting every musical performance with prayers and the Nigerian national anthem, sometime in 1977, when I was returning in the company of other students from school in the late afternoon of the day. This was at our residence at Ikom  Road, off Macpherson Street, Sapele.

Tony Grey

There was a buzz of excitement in front of our house. I could see from a distance that people were generally gravitating towards a particular spot in the compound as if to corner a share of whatever goodies that were being shared there. Getting there, I saw a group of other curious neighbours of ours and passers-by admiring a flashy brand new car parked beside our house. From the animated discussion and telltale gesticulations going on, I gathered that the car was called Citroen- a French car that was famed to have the gadgetry and ability to take off into the sky at the touch of a button should the need arise. Someone in a floral print dress volunteered smugly, as the priviledged purveyor of this piece of information. The crowd cheered gaily, awed by this mechanical derring-do, and about half a dozen other traits which we were pressganged to believe that the automobile was capable of exhibiting in its mechanical stride.

Tony Grey

Naturally by this time, I was very curious and excited as I bulldozed my way into the crush of bodies to get at this fabled object of everyone’s admiration. I could see a name ran across the length of the car in floridly embroidered letters: Tony Grey Ozimba- which I speculated upon, dumbfounded. I tried to click on the mental wires of my brains, juggling their connections frenetically for a little byte of information, but I drew blank, try as I did to recognize the name.

Tony Grey

Then suddenly, my grandmother and one of my sisters emerged from our house, accompanied by a handsome tall man wreathed in smiles. That was the very first time of meeting Tony Grey, and from that time, I dutifully thought about him, although he was to frequent our house from that particular time, constantly dropping one gift or the other for us, before he got married to my said sister, a happy marriage indeed blessed with three girls and a boy.

Tony Grey

Tony started out with football. In point of fact, a fast-reflexed goalkeeper then known as Abumalaya, reputed for saving even penalties; playing for a club known as Inland Waterways a federal government parastatal in Warri.

Tony Grey

However, having his biggest gifts in music-singing, songwriting, dancing and multi-instrumental playing, Tony dove headlong into music and broke into the pop scene after cutting his musical teeth with the legendary King Kenny Tone, a   highlife maestro. Heading bands like the Lidonians, Black Kings and others, Tony dished out many copyright hits to night clubbers from Otis Redding, the Rolling Stones, James Brown and Wilson Picket, especially their hit songs. He also recorded many hit local albums with the GES studio of Warri which pulsated in homes and nightclubs all over the nation then. She‘s my love (1973), Ijudo (1972), Come back love (1975), Congratulations (1976), My message (1977), Oh my darling (1978), God is good (gospel)(1996), higher higher (gospel)(1999), God is good 2 (2010). The turning point in his career was his musical tribute to Marvin Gaye - an African- American soul singer and instrumentalist who thrilled the world with hits like, Let’s Get it on, Sexual Healing, etc., in an ambitious musical initiative which climaxed in Tony’s touring the United States.

Tony Grey

As a result of Tony’s musical artistry and hard-headed business acumen, he finally crowned his endeavours with a spacious parcel of land in his Warri base, where he erected not only his personal house but also an avant-garde nightclub- Cruiseland, at First Marine Gate, which hosted gigs, receptions, meetings and parties before his health nosedived.
Even before this, Tony had used his music to placate the warring camps during the famous or rather infamous, Warri Crisis. It is inerasably on record that when many people were rooting for war and ethnic cleansing, this musical prophet breathed and sang peace and harmony among the ethnic groups, thus pouring oil on troubled waters. His music performed a social function of preaching against both inter and intra-ethnic harmony.
But like all good things, “Ozimbaism” could not last forever and Tony began to deteriorate in health. Consequently, he was hospitalized at Capitol Hill Hospital which according to reliable sources, really tried for him to regain his health, but to no avail.

Tony Grey

Surprisingly and despite heart-rending appeals by friends and family members alike to the Delta State Government to urgently fly him abroad for a better treatment, the wheel of Government was turned too slowly to make any difference in the life of Tony Grey who brought Performing Musician Association of Nigeria (PMAN) to the state and was President of the organization for a long time. This was the time when many Deltans missed the ex-Governor of the state James Onanefe Ibori, who would have left no stone unturned to resuscitate the health of the famous artiste who happened to be his friend and a proud son of Delta State. It was really sad that the government of the day in Delta State and its operatives were flooding the musician’s house with condolences immediately he departed the world when they should have quickly got their acts together and tried to prevent the death in the first place.

Tony Grey

As if this was not heartbreaking enough, it was also reported that the Delta State PMAN brought dirty politics into the matter with their in-fighting, even going to court when they should have closed ranks and provided succour to one of their own in his moment of distress. Connected to almost every segment of society, Tony wielded influence over paupers and kings. It is remarkable to note that a lot of people took to the study of music just because of him. Many university undergraduates did their final year projects on this musical impresario. So universal was his appeal and his heart so generous to give.
It is a crying shame that successive governments in this country of ours have over the years cultivated the evil habit of studiedly turning deaf ears to the pleas of popular artistes who have in one way or the other contributed to the development of the nation, in their hours of dire need. It happened in the case of the Ozzidi King- Sonny Okosun and Enebeli Elebuwa alias Andrew and many other Artistes, Footballers and other Stars in various fields of human endeavours.
It is pertinent for our government and their operatives to learn to appreciate our national celebrities while they are still alive and respond timely and positively to their heartfelt cries for help in their days of need.

Therefore the nation in general and Delta State Government in particular should atone for their lethargy and foot-dragging actions during Tony Grey’s indisposition culminating in full-blown illness that resulted in his death and give him a befitting burial.
Dear Tony, although you are gone, but your spirit and memory lives on.      According to Williams Shakespeare - “When beggars die no comets are seen, the heaven themselves blaze forth the death of kings”
In life and death, you were a king of music, continue to rest in peace.