Course Outcomes:
- Explain the origin of Highlife Music.
List traditional highlife instruments
Name artists which made highlife popular.
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Highlife Music Genre
Origin of Highlife Music:
The term ‘highlife’ appeared in the early 1920s “as a catch-phrase for the Orchestrated Indigenous Songs played at [exclusive] clubs by early dance bands.
Those outside called it highlife as they did not reach the class of the couples going inside, who not only had to pay a relatively high entrance fee, but also had to wear full evening dress, including top-hats if they could afford it.”
Development of Highlife Music
From the 1930s, Highlife spread via Ghanaian workers to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Gambia among other West African countries. The genre quickly gained popularity. In the 1940s, the music diverged into two distinct streams: dance band highlife and guitar band highlife.
Characteristics of Guitar Band Highlife
This featured smaller bands and initially, was most common in rural areas. Because of the history of stringed instruments like the seprewa, musicians were happy to incorporate the guitar. They also used the dagomba style, borrowed from Kru sailors from Liberia, to create highlife’s two-finger picking style
Guitar band highlife also featured singing, drums and claves. E.K. Nyame and his Akan Trio helped to popularize guitar band highlife, and would release over 400 records during Nyame’s lifetime
Characteristics of Dance Band Highlife
By contrast, this was more rooted in urban settings. In the post-war period, larger dance orchestras began to be replaced by smaller professional dance bands, typified by the success of E.T. Mensah and the Tempos.
Popular Highlife Artists
- Nana Ampadu
- Koo Nimo – Yaa Amposah
- Amakye Dede – Iron Boy
- George Darko – Odo Adwendwen
- Daasebre Gyamena –
- Nana Tuffour – Abeiku
- A.B. Crentsil – I go pay you tomorrow
- Ofori Amponsah – Otoolege
- Gyedu-Blay Ambuley –
- Kofi B – Mobrowa
- Atongo Zimba – No Beer in Heaven
- Daddy Lumba – Aben Woha
- Kwabena Kwabena