[1] James Ogundele Ojo was born on 10 July 1938 in the village of Ilara-Mokin as the only child of Òjóọya and his wife.
His father Ojooya was born as one of the six children of Ọ̀ṣúnrẹ̀, who was a worshipper of the water deity Olokun and Oshun, and was a titled chief, in Ilara-Mokin.
She was the third child of Aóòláè, a babalawo who was the Obaala of Ilara-Mokin, and his second wife, Ifalọ̀úrọ̀, an Olókun priestess who bore the title of Elerege.
The Elerege is the head of an annual festival that celebrates the sacredness of womanhood, virginity, and honors the deity Olúa.
Dele Ojo's great-grandmother, Ifalouro, was from the town of Igbara-oke He attended St. Michael's Primary School from 1944 to 1955.