Highlife facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Highlife |
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The King of highlife E.T. Mensah
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| Stylistic origins |
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| Cultural origins | 1870s, Gold Coast, British West Africa (modern-day Ghana) |
| Derivative forms |
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| Fusion genres | |
| Raglife | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Igbo Highlife, Ijaw Highlife, Edo Highlife | |
Highlife is a super cool music style from Ghana, a country in West Africa. It started way back in the 1800s along the coast, when Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. Highlife mixes traditional African rhythms with Western sounds like jazz.
This music uses the main beats and melodies from African music. But it's usually played with Western instruments. You'll often hear jazzy horns and guitars leading the way. Guitar players often use a special two-finger plucking style, which is common in African music. Lately, Highlife has become faster and uses more electronic sounds.
Highlife became super popular and spread across West Africa. Famous musicians like Cardinal Rex Lawson, E.T. Mensah, and Victor Uwaifo helped make it even better. They added traditional African drums to Western "Native Blues" sounds. After World War II, Highlife became popular again, especially with the Igbo people in Nigeria. They mixed their own guitar styles with Nigeria's diverse culture. This created Igbo highlife, which was the most popular music in Nigeria in the 1960s.
Highlife is still a big part of music for Ghanaians, both in Ghana and around the world. It's often heard in churches and has helped Ghanaians who moved away feel connected to their homeland.
Contents
The Story of Highlife Music
Highlife music has a long and interesting history. It grew out of the mix of cultures during the time of colonialism and trade in West Africa. Different local music styles came together to create Highlife.
Palm Wine Music: Where it All Began
One of the first styles was called Palm-wine music. It was also known as maringa in Sierra Leone. This music started in coastal towns. Local musicians began using small, easy-to-carry instruments brought by traders. They mixed these with their own string and drum instruments.
Palm-wine music usually had a bouncy, syncopated beat. It was played in casual bars where sailors and workers would relax. Over time, this music moved inland. It became more African, with complex rhythms. This new style was sometimes called "Native Blues." It was very popular until World War II, when music production stopped.
Brass Band Highlife: A Military Mix
Another style of Highlife came from Western brass bands. European forts in West Africa had military bands that used local musicians. These musicians learned to play marching music. They also saw West Indian soldiers playing traditional music in their free time. This inspired them.
The mix of marching music and local African rhythms created a danceable style called adaha. There was also a style called konkoma, which used cheaper, local instruments. This blend was a bit like how jazz music started in New Orleans.
Dance and Guitar Band Highlife: Two Popular Styles
In the 1920s, Ghanaian musicians started adding foreign sounds like the foxtrot and calypso to their own rhythms. Highlife was first enjoyed by the wealthy African families during colonial times. Bands like the Jazz Kings and the Accra Orchestra played this music.
The people who went to these fancy clubs gave the music its name. They called it "highlife" because only "high class" people could afford to go. The entrance fee was quite high, and people had to wear fancy clothes. From the 1930s, Highlife spread to other West African countries like Sierra Leone and Nigeria. It quickly became very popular there.
By the 1940s, Highlife split into two main types: dance band highlife and guitar band highlife. Guitar band highlife used smaller bands. It was more common in rural areas at first. Musicians loved using the guitar because they already had stringed instruments like the seprewa. They also learned a special two-finger picking style from sailors. Guitar band highlife also had singing, drums, and claves. E.K. Nyame helped make guitar band highlife famous. He released over 400 records!
Dance band highlife was more popular in cities. After the war, big orchestras were replaced by smaller, professional bands. E.T. Mensah and his band, the Tempos, were very successful. As foreign soldiers left, more Ghanaians became the main audience. The music changed to fit their tastes. E.T. Mensah became super famous after playing with Louis Armstrong in Ghana in 1956. He even got the nickname, the "King of Highlife." Another important musician from the 1950s was King Bruce.
Ghanaians Around the World
In the 1960s, many Ghanaians moved away to find better jobs. Later, in the 1970s and 80s, political problems caused even more people to leave. Many famous Highlife musicians moved to places like Germany. This created communities of Ghanaians in Western countries.
Burger Highlife: A New Sound from Germany
Ghanaians in Germany created a new style of Highlife. It mixed Highlife with funk, disco, and synth-pop music. People think it was called "burger highlife" because many Ghanaians lived in Hamburg, Germany. This music became linked to migrants who traveled between Germany and Ghana. By the late 1990s, it was made almost entirely with electronic instruments.
Gospel Highlife: Music with a Message
Gospel highlife is one of the most popular music styles for Ghanaians everywhere. It has lasted longer than burger highlife. This is because it successfully blends religious music with pop culture. It's similar to burger highlife, but it's inspired by Charismatic Christianity and Pentecostalism. This music is very important in Ghanaian communities. Religious groups often provide social support for Ghanaians living in Germany.
Jazz and Highlife: A Musical Connection
Highlife and Jazz in the 1950s
E.T. Mensah and Kofi Ghanaba were very important musicians in Ghana. In the late 1950s, famous jazz musicians started visiting Ghana. Ahmad Jamal and Louis Armstrong played concerts there in 1956 and 1960. Armstrong's band member, Edmond Hall, even came to Ghana in 1959 to start a jazz club in Accra.
Guy Warren was a notable musician who played with E.T. Mensah's band. He later moved to America. There, he worked with musicians like Red Saunders. He recorded an album called Africa Speaks, America Answers. He also played with Duke Ellington for a short time. Warren is known for bringing Highlife to the United States. He wanted to help African-American musicians reconnect with African music. Before the late 1950s, many people didn't realize how much African music influenced American music.
Highlife in Other Music
Highlife has inspired many other musicians. Here are a few examples:
- Pianist Randy Weston recorded an album called Highlife in 1963. It included songs by West African musicians Bobby Benson and Guy Warren.
- Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders had a song called "High Life" on his album Rejoice (1981).
- Guitarist Sonny Sharrock also had a song called "Highlife" on his album of the same name (1990).
- Craig Harris (who plays the trombone) had a song called "High Life" on his album F-Stops (1993).
See also
- Ghanaian Highlife Forms
Images for kids
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This image shows a musical pattern used in Highlife guitar playing.
