My father introduced accordion to Nigerian gospel music — Sola Rotimi’s daughter

Politics Spice Special Features Education Sex & Relationship Interview Columns Opinion Advertise with us My father introduced accordion to Nigerian gospel music — Sola Rotimi’s daughter Interview November 8, 2026 12:04 am Sola Rotimi’s daughter

Mrs Rachael Longe, daughter of veteran gospel musician and accordionist, Rev Sola Rotimi, tells BIODUN BUSARI about her father’s personality, family life, musical journey and ministry, among other issues

What kind of relationship do you have with your father?

I have a good relationship with my father, just like any other child. I am a gospel minister, wife, mother and human resources and administration professional. I am the fourth child in the family. We used to be five children, but I am now the youngest.

When did your father begin his ministry, based on the history he must have shared with you?

He began his gospel music ministry in 1970. He started as ‘Sola Rotimi the Triple S’ in 1970, before it became ‘Sola Rotimi and The Triple S (Saved To Serve Singers)’ in 1972.

He was a member of Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Ogidiri, Ipee Road, Offa, Kwara State. Before starting his ministry, he encountered the accordion in 1964 and mastered how to play it in 1968, when his choirmaster at CAC left for Lagos.

There was no organ in the church, so he took the accordion home and taught himself how to play it.

He is widely credited with introducing the piano accordion to Nigerian gospel music.

What was your understanding of him growing up as a child?

I knew him as a pastor and a disciplined father. His style of music was more popular among CAC members and the evangelical community, but it also reached a wider audience because of the messages in his songs.

I have known him as a pastor all my life. He recently retired as a CAC superintendent in the United States, but he still attends the church.

He has always been particular about showcasing Jesus, and this is reflected in the name of his band. His primary goal was to serve God, with the sole purpose of depopulating the kingdom of hell and populating the kingdom of heaven.

That was my understanding of him as a child, and it remains the same today. My father is still doing the things I knew him for when I was little.

He relied more on verbal correction than corporal punishment. He hardly beat us. As a CAC pastor, I think he preferred talking to us rather than flogging us. His verbal corrections were more effective than beating.

The only time I remember my father beating me was when he gave me two strokes of the cane. He used constructive words to shape our morals. Whenever he decided to talk to you about something you had done wrong, you could end up shedding tears. All the same, he is a caring father.

Contentment. He detests greed and taught us to be content with having a good name. He would always remind us that a good name is better than silver and gold.

Even today, I carry that consciousness with me. No matter what I do, I must remember that I am a child of God and conduct myself accordingly.

He would warn us never to take what did not belong to us. That mindset grew with us and has become a generational value that we have passed on to our children. I always tell them that anything that is not given to them should not be touched. They have imbibed that mentality because contentment is essential.

It was almost as if music was the library in our house. My siblings and I grew up in a musical environment, and music was one of the main forms of entertainment available to us. We would sit together and teach ourselves different things.

We also listened to foreign gospel artistes such as Don Moen and CeCe Winans, among others.

Every morning, my father woke us up with his accordion for morning devotion. It was interesting because he had songs for different moods. Growing up in that environment meant I never had a boring childhood.

Other gospel musicians, such as Niyi Adedokun and Ojo Ade, also incorporated the accordion into their music. Did you ever mistake their voices for your father’s when you heard them on the radio?

I had such experiences. Sometimes, my friends would tell me about songs performed by my father’s colleagues in the ministry and insist that they were my father’s songs. I would tell them otherwise, but they would still ask if I was sure. I always stood my ground.

First, as his daughter, I could recognise my father’s voice. Secondly, my father did not tell stories in his songs. He might use parables or teachings of Jesus from the Bible, but he was not a storyteller.

There was a time when the song, ‘Edakun E Gbami Mi O Semo L’orin To Nko’, was being played, and my friends insisted it was my father’s song. I told them it was not. They argued with me, but I explained the differences in the composition, lyrics and language of the song until they agreed.

My father was not particularly a storyteller. His songs focused mainly on prayers, gratitude, evangelism and soul-winning.

That is not to say he did not respect his contemporaries. They shared mutual respect and love for one another. They were all pursuing the same goal of preaching the gospel of Christ. There was no competition among them. Some of his contemporaries attended his 76th birthday celebration in August.

Did he face any oppression during the military regimes of the 1980s and 1990s because of his ministry?

I attended boarding school during that period, so I was not at home most of the time. However, I do not recall anything like that happening.

What I remember is that he used to go on early morning walks, preaching the gospel of Jesus. On one occasion, some people complained about it, but he was not discouraged.

How did your mother relate to his ministry?

My mother, of blessed memory, was an alto singer. I am also an alto singer. Everyone in our family is connected to music, so she had no problem with his ministry. It was a family affair.

Although my father and his band members had a designated place where they met for rehearsals, we still felt the impact of the ministry at home.

My brothers still play musical instruments in their respective churches. They are talented keyboardists. My sister is a gospel artiste who sings and plays the guitar, and I also sing.

My mother was always happy to cook for everyone whenever they came around.

He is a man of many parts and a natural leader. He introduced the accordion to Nigerian gospel music and taught others how to play it.

He hails from a royal family in Odo-Owa, Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State. He has travelled to many places, including London, Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Canada, Sofia in Bulgaria, Brussels in Belgium, Italy, Togo, the Republic of Benin and Ghana.

He was twice president of the Gospel Musicians’ Association of Nigeria and also served as vice-president of the Performing Musicians’ Association of Nigeria.

Before going into full-time ministry, he was a professional printer. He worked at the Nigeria Paper Mill, Jebba, in 1968, where he also served as a drummer and later as assistant choirmaster at CAC Oke-Igbala, Garika, Jebba.

Apart from Yoruba, he speaks Hausa and Twi fluently. He has also lived in three countries.

Did you observe any challenges confronting his ministry?

The only challenge I can think of is that the ministry often took him away from home. However, he was not an absent father because we enjoyed his company whenever he was around. He deliberately made time for us and our mother.

Even when we were in boarding school, he always came to check on us despite his busy schedule. Sometimes, he would return from a ministration and still go out again.

My mother never openly complained, but sometimes we could tell that she missed him. That was the challenge we experienced as a family, but it was never a major issue.

My father has not stopped singing, and I do not think he ever will. These days, he is focused on rebranding his music and taking it to YouTube. He is creating short videos and reels to help people rediscover his songs.

He has been doing this to continue serving God, with the primary purpose of winning souls.

He relocated to the United States in 2000 and lived there until last year. He is an American citizen. He remained there until he retired from pastoring CAC last year, having attained the retirement age of 75. He still travels back and forth.

I have many fond memories of my father, particularly how deliberately he made himself available to me. He did the same for the entire family.

Whenever I did something wrong, he would call me ‘Princess’ and ask me to sit down. He took me to places such as amusement parks. He enjoyed taking walks with me and having conversations. It was almost like deliberately creating time to bond with his child.

One of those memories was the day he took me to a PMAN meeting. There, I met great musicians I had previously watched on television, including Charlie Boy and the late Onyeka Onwenu. I was a teenager at the time.

These were some of the ways his music ministry and personal life shaped my upbringing and gave me beautiful memories. I was extremely proud of my father when I was younger, and I am still proud of him.

Sometimes, he would even join us in the kitchen. They might seem like little things, but they meant a lot to me.

We also had paintings and inspirational inscriptions around our house. These are some of the traditions I have passed on to my children. One of the inscriptions in our house read, ‘For this God is my God for ever and ever: he will be my guide even unto death.’

Biodun Busari is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience reporting on human interest, crime, diaspora issues, and feature storytelling. He focuses on producing engaging, informative stories that enlighten the public and provide context on complex topics. Biodun’s work demonstrates hands-on newsroom experience and a strong commitment to accurate, purpose-driven journalism.

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