Biography
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Born
March 1963
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Died
1 June 2020 (aged 57)
Majek Fashek (born Majekodunmi Fasheke in Benin, Edo State, in March 1949; died 1 June 2020) was a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was best known in his home country for the 1988 album Prisoner of Conscience, which included the multiple award-winning single "Send Down the Rain". Also known as The Rainmaker, he worked with various artists worldwide including Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Cliff, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, and Beyoncé.
Various translations of his name include "high priest who does not lie" and "powers of miracles, the high priest does not live", and he claims he was born with dreadlocks, the "holy" hairstyle of Rastafarianism.
Fashek first gained national fame on a television show in the early 1980s, then toured for many years with The Mandators. In 1987, he began a solo career and quickly became the biggest reggae singer in the country. His song 'Send Down The Rain' was especially popular. He won six awards at the PMAN ceremony and then signed to CBS Nigeria in 1988 before moving to Island Records' Mango imprint (a label more accustomed to marketing reggae internationally). His first album for the company included a cover version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song".
He subsequently recorded several albums for various labels, including Rainmaker for Tuff Gong (1997) and Little Patience for Coral (2004).
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