Ladipo's great-grandfather was a drummer of the gangan and worshipper of the god Shango who escaped the Jalumi War with the help of Oderinlo, one of the war generals, because it was believed to be forbidden to kill a drummer in war. The tradition of drumming and drummaking continued with his son, Ladipo's grandfather. However, Ladipo's father, Joseph Oni, refused to follow his ancestor's footsteps and instead converted to Christianity around 1912. He became a minister at an Anglican church in Oṣogbo thereafter. Joseph wanted Ladipo to follow in his footsteps to be a preacher, but Ladipo was influenced by his grandfather, who was also a devout worshipper of Shango and Oya, and was well versed in Yoruba mythology, especially those emanating from Old Ọyọ. Ladipo also observed Ifa and Egungun festivals at Ila Orangun and Otan Ayegbaju, towns near Osogbo. Career Ladipọ tried hard and succeeded in exposing himself to traditional and Yoruba cultural elements, especially when living under the veil of a Christian home. At a young age, he would sneak out of the vicarage to watch Yoruba festivals. This fascination with his culture goaded him into researching and experimenting with theatrical drama and writing. After leaving Oṣogbo, he went to Ibadan, where he became a teacher. While in Ibadan he became one of the founding members of an artist club called Mbari Mbayo and became influenced by a German scholar named Ulli Beier. He later replicated the club in Oṣogbo, and it became the premier group for promoting budding artists and dramatists in Oṣogbo. Throughout his career, Duro Ladipọ wrote ten Yoruba folk operas combining dance, music, mime, proverbs, drumming and praise songs. Ladipo started his personal theatre group in 1961, but he became fully established with the founding of the Mbari Mbayo Club in Oṣogbo. His popularity as the leader of a folk opera group rests on his three plays: Ọbamoro in 1962, Ọba ko so and Ọba Waja in 1964. Ọba Waja - "The King is Dead" - is based on the same historical event that inspired fellow Nigerian playwright Wọle Ṣoyinka's Death and the King's Horseman.) He also promoted Mọremi, a play about the Yoruba ancestress of the same name. He later transformed Mbari Mbayo into a cultural center, an arts gallery and a meeting point for young artists seeking to develop their talents. Duro Ladipọ wrote quite a number of plays, such as