Babatunde Olatunji, a Nigerian drummer whose decades of groundbreaking work were rooted in his native culture and influenced countless musicians, has died. He was 75. Olatunji died Sunday morning at ...

Before there was world beat music, before there was Afropop or any of the other genres of African music marketed to Western audiences, there was Babatunde Olatunji. Olatunji's 1959 “Drums of Passion” ...

Just how much of an influence was Babatunde Olatunji on Serge Gainsbourg? It’s a long story. Hailing from a village about 40 miles from Lagos, Nigeria, Michael Babatunde Olatunji grew up immersed in ...

Babatunde Olatunji, the Nigerian drummer, bandleader and world beat pioneer who first brought authentic African music to the United States with his 1959 album, "Drums Of Passion," died Sunday from ...