Music and musical traditions of Ghana
There are many styles of
traditional
and modern
music of Ghana
, due to
Ghana
's worldwide geographic position on the
African continent
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
The best known modern genre originating in
Ghana
is
Highlife
.
[4]
For many years, Highlife was the preferred music genre until the introduction of
Hiplife
and many others.
[5]
[6]
Traditional music
[
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]
The traditional musicology of
Ghana
may be divided geographically between the open and vast savanna country of northern
Ghana
inhabited by
Ghanaians
of
Gur
and
Mande
speaking groups; and the fertile, forested southern coastal areas, inhabited by
Ghanaians
speaking
Kwa languages
such as
Akan
.
[7]
- The northern musical traditions belong to the wider
Sahelian
musical traditions. It features a mix of melodic composition on
stringed instruments
such as the
kologo
lute and the
gonjey
fiddle,
wind instruments
such as flutes and horns, and voice; with polyrhythms clapped or played on the
talking drum
, gourd drums or
brekete
bass drums. The tradition of
gyil
music (
balafon
) is also common, especially in northwestern
Ghana
around
Wa
and
Lawra
. Music in the northern styles is mostly set to a minor
pentatonic
or
chromatic
scale and
melisma
plays an important part in melodic and vocal styles. There is a long history of either
griot
or praise-singing traditions.
- The music of the coast is associated with social functions, and relies on complex
polyrhythmic
patterns played with
drums
and
bells
as well as harmonized song. Drums and dance are often linked, and the tradition of royal talking drums
fontomfrom
(distinct from the northern talking drum) means music is widely used for communication of both tangible and esoteric topics. The most well known of southern
Ghanaian
drum traditions is the
kete
and
adowa
drum and bell ensembles. Music can also be linked to
traditional religions
. An exception to this rule is the Akan tradition of singing with the
Seperewa
harp-lute
which had its origins in the stringed harps of the north and west.
Gold Coast period
[
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]
During the
Gold Coast
era, the area was a hotbed of musical
syncretism
. Rhythms especially from gombe and
ashiko
,
guitar
-styles such as mainline and osibisaba,
European
brass bands
and
sea shanties
, were all combined into a
melting pot
that became high-life.
Mid-20th century and the invention of Ghanaian pop
[
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]
Ghana
became an independent nation in 1957. The music of
Ghana
often reflects a Caribbean influence, yet it still retains a flavour on its own. While pan-Ghanaian music had been developed for some time, the middle of the 20th century saw the development of distinctly
Ghanaian
pop music. High-life incorporated elements of swing,
jazz
,
rock
, ska and soukous. To a much lesser extent,
Ghanaian
musicians found success in the
United States
and, briefly, the
United Kingdom
with the surprise success of
Osibisa
's
Afro-rock
in the 1970s.
Guitar-bands in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s
[
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]
In the 1930s, Sam's Trio, led by Jacob Sam (Kwame Asare), was the most influential of the high-life guitar-bands. Their "Yaa Amponsah", three versions of which were recorded in 1928 for
Zonophone
, was a major hit that remains a popular staple of numerous high-life bands. The next major guitar-band leader was E. K. Nyame, who sang in
Twi
. Nyame also added the
double bass
and more elements of the Western hemisphere, including jazz and
Cuban music
on the recommendation of his producer and manager E. Newman-Adjiri. In the 1960s, dance high-life was more popular than guitar-band high-life; most of the guitar bands began using the
electric guitar
until a roots revival in the mid-1970s.
Dance high-life in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s
[
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]
Dance highlife evolved during
World War II
, when American
jazz
and
swing
became popular with the arrival of servicemen from the
United States
and
United Kingdom
. After independence in 1957, the socialist government began encouraging folk music, but highlife remained popular and influences from
Trinidadian
music.
E. T. Mensah
was the most influential musician of this period, and his band
The Tempos
frequently accompanied the president. The original bandleader of The Tempos was
Guy Warren
, who was responsible for introducing
Caribbean music
to
Ghana
and, later, was known for a series of innovative fusions of African rhythms and American
jazz
.
Ebo Taylor
,
King Bruce
,
Jerry Hansen (musician)
and Stan Plange also led influential dance bands during the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s, however,
pop music
from Europe and the US dominated the Ghanaian scene until a mid-1970s roots revival.
1970s: Head revival
[
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]
By the beginning of the 1970s, traditionally styled highlife had been overtaken by electric guitar bands and pop-dance music. Since 1966 and the fall of President
Kwame Nkrumah
, many Ghanaian musicians moved abroad, settling in the US, and UK. High-life bands arose like Sammy Kofi's (also known as Kofi Sammy). In 1971, the
Soul to Soul
music festival
was held in
Accra
. Several legendary American musicians played, including
Wilson Pickett
,
Ike
and
Tina Turner
and
Carlos Santana
. With the exception of
Mexican
-American Santana, these American superstars were all black, and their presence in Accra was seen as legitimizing Ghanaian music. Though the concert is now mostly remembered for its role as a catalyst in the subsequent Ghanaian roots revival, it also led to increased popularity for American rock and soul. Inspired by the American musicians, new guitar bands arose in Ghana, including
Nana Ampadu
& the African Brothers, The City Boys and others. Musicians such as
C. K. Mann
,
Daniel Amponsah
and
Eddie Donkor
incorporated new elements, especially from
Jamaican
reggae
. A group called
Wulomei
also arose in the 1970s, leading a cultural revival to encourage Ghanaian youths to support their own countryman's music. By the 1980s, the UK was experiencing a boom in African music as
Ghanaian
and others moved there in large numbers. The group Hi-Life International was probably the most influential band of the period, and others included Jon K, Dade Krama,
Orchestra Jazira
and
Ben Brako
. In the middle of the decade, however, British immigration laws changed, and the focus of Ghanaian emigration moved to
Germany
.
The Ghanaian-German community created a form of highlife called
Burger-highlife
. The most influential early burgher highlife musician was
George Darko
, whose "Akoo Te Brofo" coined the term and is considered the beginning of the genre. Burgher highlife was extremely popular in
Ghana
, especially after computer-generated dance beats were added to the mix. The same period saw a Ghanaian community appear in
Toronto
and elsewhere in
Canada
.
Pat Thomas
is probably the most famous Ghanaian-Canadian musician. Other emigres include Ghanaian-American
Obo Addy
, the Ghanaian-Swiss Andy Vans and the Ghanaian-Dutch Kumbi Salleh. In
Ghana
itself during the 1980s, reggae became extremely popular.
Hip-life
[
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]
By the late 1990s, a new generation of artists created a new genre of music called
Hiplife
.
[8]
The creator of this style is
Reggie Rockstone
, a Ghanaian musician who dabbled with hip-hop in the
United States
before finding his unique style. Hiplife basically was hiphop in the Ghanaian local dialect mixed with elements of the traditional High-life.
[9]
Ace music producer
Hammer of The Last Two
unveiled artistes including
Obrafour
, Tinny and Ex-doe who further popularized the Hiplife music genre respectively. Hiplife has since proliferated and spawned stars such as
Reggie Rockstone
,
Sherifa Gunu
,
Ayigbe Edem
,
Samini
and
Sarkodie
. Producers responsible for steering this genre to what it is today were
Hammer of The Last Two
,
Ball J
,
EL
and Jupitar Dancehall Artiste.
Hip hop
[
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]
Ghanaian hip hop
is a
subculture
and
art movement
which developed in
Ghana
during the late 1990s. The hiphop genre came into existence in
Ghana
through
Reggie Rockstone
, who is known as the hiplife father
[10]
and other notable musicians such as
Jayso
and
Ball J
. It first came to
Ghana
as Hiplife where
Reggie Rockstone
introduced a fusion of hiphop beats with African sounds to create a whole new genre known as
Gh hiphop
.
Afro beats
[
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]
In the late 2000s, a new generation of artists introduced the Afro beats genre into the Ghana music scene which is mostly referred to as Afro-pop.
4x4
and
Fuse ODG
among others popularized it and it has become part of the Ghanaian music Culture.
See also
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References
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External links
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Sovereign states
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States with limited
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Dependencies and
other territories
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