Tony Allen: Four facts about the man described as the “world’s greatest drummer”

He was also a songwriter and composer

Allen was not simply a drummer but also a songwriter and composer of significant repute too. On his ability to compose music, Allen once said in an interview:

“Fela used to write out the parts for all the musicians in the band (Africa ’70). I was the only one who originated the music I played. Fela would ask what type of rhythm I wanted to play.… You can tell a good drummer because we… have four limbs… and they are… playing different things… the patterns don’t just come from Yoruba… [but] other parts of Nigeria and Africa”

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Allen formed his own group in the 1980s and wrote some of the songs the group put out, including the hit No Discrimination.