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HISTORY OF HIGHLIFE RECALLED
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| Monday, 26 Oct 2009 |
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| Koo Nimo |
The history of highlife music, according to most musicologists, dates back to at least a century. The term highlife was first coined in the 1920s when popular Ghanaian street music was first orchestrated by the big dance bands of the day.Highlife music has gone through many transformations in Ghana. It started from the Palm Wine highlife days, then to Burger highlife and finally to Contemporary highlife times which we are all enjoying presently. Today, Showghana's Susan Lamptey,takes you back to the classroom, to educate you on the transitions highlife music has been through.
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| Paapa Yankson |
Palm Wine highlife music started in the early 1920s where coastal Fante groups fused the traditional Akan 'Seprewa' (harp lute) with the Acoustic guitar, creating a rootsy style of music called 'Odonson' (Akan blues) or Palm Wine Music. Many of these songs were by Agya Koo Nimo, Jacob Sam, Mireku, Appiah Adjekum, amongst others. The name 'Palm Wine' was chosen because these kinds of music were normally sung at beer palours.
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| George Darko |
Some decades later, another type of highlife music emerged.This was the Burger highlife music. This type of music started in the early 1980s. It was not created in Ghana at all but rather by Ghanaians living in Hamburg a suburb of Germany. Burger highlife music was also done in the Akan dialect with the use of electronic guitars, disco drums and synthesizers. Some musicians who did Burger highlife include George Darko, Pat Thomas, Bob Pinado, Ekow 'Savage' Alabi,Charles Amoah, the Lumba Brothers(Charles Kojo Fosu, Sarkodie and Ernest Nana Acheampong),amongst many others.Burger Highlife was used as the name because this type of highlife was done solely by Ghanaians living in Hamburg, Germany.
Presently, the genre of highlife music making waves in the country is the Contemporary highlife music.This genre is being done by artistes such as Pauline Oduro, Daasebre Dwamena(Das Bees), Ofori Amponsah( All 4 real) George Kwabena Adu(Kwabena Kwabena), amongst many others. Contemporary highlife music simply means present day highlife. I hope you have been educated. Stick and stay with Showghana.com for more educative, informative and entertaining articles.
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