Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Koola Lobitos in the 1960s

In 1959, Fela formed his first group, Fela Ransome-Kuti and His Highlife Rakers, which recorded only four tracks for Melodisc.

In 1960, he disbanded the Highlife Rakers and formed Koola Lobitos, with a mix of West African and Caribbean musicians.

By 1963, Fela launched the first edition of Fela Ransome-Kuti Quintet, and in 1964 he joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation as a junior producer. That same year, he reformed the Quintet to focus on jazz.

In 1968, Koola Lobitos toured Ghana and released an album compiling their earlier singles. In early 1969, they recorded a live album at the Afro-Spot (Kalakuta Republik) in Lagos. Later that year, they toured the United States, performing in major cities like Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.

By the end of 1969, Fela renamed the band Africa 70.

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