Tony Oladipo Allen (Lagos, Nigeria, 1940 – Paris, France, April 30, 2020) was a legendary Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter.

Tony Allen together with Fela Kuti pioneered the Afrobeat musical genre; they recorded music together from the 1960s with the Africa ‘70 band until 1979.

He played a pivotal role in several of Fela’s most seminal records like “Zombie”, “Expensive Shit” and “Gentleman”. After parting ways with Africa ‘70, Allen put together a new band and pioneered a new sound named Afrofunk.

Without Tony Allen, there would be no afrobeat.

– Fela Kuti

Tony Allen was a self-taught musician, he was influenced mostly by jazz drummers like Art Blakey and Max Roach, etc. In 2017 he released A Tribute To Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers – EP where he played some of Art Blakey’s well-known tunes.

His music has been credited as a major influence on artists like Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, who featured on the 2014 track “Go Back”, Questlove of The Roots, as well as Brian Eno, who once said:

[Tone Allen is] …perhaps the best drummer who ever lived.