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Entertainment and Lifestyle

How The Flute brought Tee Mac Fame and Fortune

How The Flute brought Tee Mac Fame and Fortune
  • PublishedJuly 23, 2018

Tee Mac is a name most people know as associated to the musical instrument known as Flute.
Born Omatshola Oseli, Tee Mac, {MFR) is an accomplished musician and artiste more famous abroad because of his style of music.
Tee Mac is a grand Flutist who has taken his band virtually everywhere and has interest in various businesses.
The one time Performing Musician Association of Nigeria Chairman has had association with some of the famous names in music, arranging and conducting for super famous star, Shirley Bassey who did the soundtracks for some of James Bond movies, ‘Diamonds are forever and Golden Finger’.
Tee Mac was born on 17 May, 1949 in Lagos. His mother is a princess from Itsekiri named Suzanne Gray Fregene and his father, Theo Manfred Iseli, was a Swiss Diplomat sent to Nigeria in 1946. His dad became very successful in business but when Tee Mac was just three years old, his father was assasinated in 1951 in Lagos. YoungTee Mac and his two sisters went sent to Switzerland to start life all over again.
At age 8, Tee Mac got his first flute and began private music lessons until he entered the Music Academy, studying music and other subjects at the same time. He attended Rudolf Steiner School, Primary and Secondary, passed his A level subjects at the Burgholf School in St. Gallen, and went to study economics at the prestigious University of St. Gallen. Eventually, Tee Mac mastered the flute in 1969 after studying music for twelve whole years
Early in life young Tee Mac learnt from an uncle of his that everything gathered in life could be lost save one’s education, which propelled him to acquire degrees in three different disciplines.
Returning to Nigeria in 1970, Tee Mac worked as a manager at a Swiss company known as UTC as against working for his step-father as his mother had remarried and given birth to three other children.
While working at UTC, Tee Mac formed a musical band called Tee Mac and Afro Collection with notable artistes like Tunde Kuboye on bass guitar, Berkley Jones on lead guitar, Laolu Akins on drums, Johnny Haastrup on keyboards, Friday Puzzo on congas, Steve Black and Lijadu Sisters on vocals. His band was later joined by the world famous drummer, Ginger Baker, who came to Nigeria to jam with Afro Collection in 1972 at their base on Broad Street.
Tee Mac landed in London with his big dream of making a name in the music world amidst making so much money, but he was at first disappointed because money wasn’t coming as he had expected.
He concluded that his step-father may just be right, that music cannot put money on the table. So he planned to return back to Switzerland and possibly become a banker and rake in the millions he had always dreamed of.
He was having that thought when he and his producer recorded a couple of singles under the name of Silver Convention. The name was derived from his silver flute. His two songs became instant hit: Get up Boogie and Fly Robin fly.
It became a blessing in disguise because he toured several countries extensively with his new band. Along the line, he became an arranger and conductor for Shirley Bassey, a notable female performer also of Nigerian origins that he had always admired.
The great Shirley Bassey released her world hit songs, Gold Finger and Diamonds are forever. With Shirley Bassey on board, Tee Mac got exposed to lot of money and fame.
Tee Mac returned agai to Nigeria so wealthy that he bought a club called Surulere Club and renovated it. He also opened another club in theYaba area of Lagos
As a true lover of music, he pumped money into record investments and formed another band called Tee Mac Collection. With his new band, Tee Mac toured the whole of Nigeria and recorded his First TV series on NTA known as Tee Mac show. He left the shore of Nigeria to Hollywood, Los Angeles where he worked as a composer for Cidi Croft Enterprise.
With a knaxk for traditional wears, Tee Mac despite his mixed blood is all about native Nigerian clothings when it comes to fashion. He has been designing his wears by himself since 1987.
Like his late father, Tee Mac has head for good business. This is evident in his several investment projects.He owns11 mines, and is the chairman and major shareholder to notable companies and investments. He is the owner of Allied Minerals Limited with office in Apapa.
Tee Mac has concentrated on mining of solid minerals and took up leases of zinc, lead, tin and copper since 2001. Cashing in on his personality, Tee Mac has buddied with notable people in government and got himself introduced to emirs who are the custodians of lands rich in minerals. Tee Mac also has a multi- million naira factory in Jos, Plateau state.
A lover of children, he ha through his foundation sponsored the education of several children numbering more than a thousand, while also empowering others
With many choice properties to his name, Tee Mac has a soft spot for color blue, as more than 50% of his SUVs come in blue colours. He even describes as blue the colour of the sound produced by his flute, describing it as blue by music theory.
A man of influence and inspiration indeed.

Written By
Africh Royale

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