Arts + Culture
Guitar bands and dance bands: the two branches of Ghanaian highlife
Ghanaian highlife developed along two main paths: dance bands with horns that played for elites in ballrooms, and…
highlife
Music
Jewel Ackah: the Prince of Highlife from Axim who wrote “Arise, Arise”
Jewel Ackah, born in Axim in the Western Region, sang with C.K. Mann's Carousel Seven and the Sweet…
Music
Orlando Owoh: the carpenter who became Nigeria’s “King of Toye”
Orlando Owoh, born Stephen Oladipupo Olaore Owomoyela in Osogbo, started out as a carpenter, joined Kola Ogunmola's theatre…
Arts + Culture
Kpanlogo: the Ga drum and dance that grew up in 1960s Accra
Kpanlogo is a Ga recreational drum and dance from Accra that became popular in the early 1960s. Credited…
Music
Nana Tuffour: the “9-9-2-4” highlife romantic who learned his trade with King Sunny Ade
Nana Tuffour, born James Kwaku Tuffour in 1954, started as a keyboardist, worked with King Sunny Ade in…
Arts + Culture
E.K. Nyame and the Akan Trio: the man who sang highlife in Twi on the concert party stage
E.K. Nyame (1927 to 1977), from Kwahu, founded the Akan Trio concert party in 1952, combining guitar band…
Music
A.B. Crentsil: the Prestea highlife man who made Ghana laugh and blush
A.B. Crentsil, born in Prestea in 1943, led the Sweet Talks in the 1970s and later formed Ahenfo.…
Music
“Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’awu” and the Cubano Fiestas: the highlife of Alhaji K. Frimpong
Alhaji K. Frimpong (1939 to 2005), born in Ofoase in the Ashanti Region, was a Ghanaian highlife singer…
Music
Daddy Lumba, 1964 to 2025: from the Lumba Brothers in Germany to highlife royalty
Daddy Lumba, born Charles Kwadwo Fosu in Nsuta, Ashanti, in 1964, began his career in Germany with Nana…
Arts + Culture
Highlife, lovers rock and soukous in one voice: Kojo Antwi, Ghana’s Mr Music Man
Kojo Antwi, born Julius Kojo Antwi in Accra on 24 November 1959 and raised in Darkuman, released his…