Born on the 4th of March 1935 by a Kalahari father and an Igbo mother from Orji. As he kept on growing, the restless rebellious youth embarked on an early odyssey that took him through most of the Delta area, Cameroon, and finally to Lagos where he played for both Bobby Benson and Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya who were then the best Highlife superstars in the country and from whom Rex acquired the necessary skills, experience and maturity to pave his future in the highly competitive Highlife music industry of the time. He however made mincemeat of Highlife when he started on his own and displayed such mastery and genius that fame was the least of his worries. Rex music builds gradually with an ease reminiscent of the flow of water-absorbing the musician with its soporific and sober rhythm. Lawson had 90 records including “Jolly Papa”, “Abele”, “Iworiwo”, and “Love Me Adure” in his repertoire. He bagged a posthumous award from PMAN for his immense contribution to Highlife music in Nigeria.

His music still lives strongly after him and a clear testimony of this is the frequency with which his music is aired on Radio Stations throughout the country. He died in January 1971 in an auto accident on Agbor – Ward road shortly after the Nigerian civil war.