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This biography contains the following:
a. Background
b. Career
c. Real Name
d. Town, State & Country 
e. Age
f. Networth
g. Marital Status
h. Associates

Helen Umebuani Nkume (1943 - 2001) was a Singer, Songwriter, Prophetess, one of Southeastern Nigeria's prolific female gospel artist and a member of Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim. She hailed from Nbiabike Amekpu Ohafia, Abia State. Though her father was a prominent member of the community, her family moved to the mega city of Umuahia, capital city of Abia State, while she was still young.

While in Umuahia, she received her education there and while in secondary school she met her husband to be, Umebuani Onwuzulike. Their marriage was blessed with three children.

In the 1972, she founded Young Timers Band which dishes out songs of Afrobeats and Highlife Genre. They recorded their first couple of Highlife albums for Tabansi, both of which became hits in the east side of the country. In the 1989, she turned Prophetess and formed new band called Galilee Gospel Band. 

It is quiet unfortunate that most of the songs released by Young Timers Band have lost. Only some of the songs released by her Ministration band (Galilee Gospel Band) are still available.

Despite Music in Nigeria was mostly in the hands of men, the early 60s and 70s saw the rise of some of the most vibrant female musicians like Christy Essien-Igbokwe, Lijadu Sisters, Oby Onyoha, Onyeka, just to named a few.

According to our research findings on some of Helen some of her studio projects - Check the "Onye Ije" track ...almost six minutes of raw & wild vibes where afrobeat , funk & rock are melting together in a cozy harmony.

We remember the first time we found her orange album. We didn't know what it contained but something about the cover shouted “pick me up”! We were in a village near Umahia, had no light nor way to listen to it on our turntable but when a cover speaks to you that way - you have to trust it. Once we got back to our room we played it and were happily surprised: the Lp is a bomb

Helen started her musical career in the early 70s, forming a group known as the Young Timers. They recorded their first couple of Highlife albums for Tabansi, both of which became hits in the east side of the country. 

By the late 70s she self-produced and released her two best albums: "Young Timers Band" and "Vol.IV", which were pressed in very limited editions and distributed mainly in the area where the group was active, Umuahia and its surroundings.

The music on those albums have a certain progression to them. The "Young Timers Band" LP is mostly still steeped in the highlife mood that distinguishes her earlier work but one track, "Umo Imo Special", stands out from the rest. It's a fusion between highlife, jazz and afrobeat and totally dance-floor friendly - what we would call “Countryside Afrobeat”."Vol.IV" has a more defined Afro Funk sound but the tracks "Music" and "Onye Ije" are clearly among the most loved of that Countryside Afrobeat genere. 

By Fidelis for ThrowbackTimes.com.ng