Ghana has many varied styles of traditional and modern music, due to its vibrant ethnic groups and geographic position in West Africa, enjoying cosmopolitan cultures. The most well known genre to have originated in Ghana is Highlife, which among youth had in the late 1990's had incorporated Hip-Hop influences to establish a newer hybrid genre, known as Hiplife. For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana and Sierra Leone in the 1920s and spread to other West African countries. ... Hip life music is an originally Ghanaian fusion of Highlife and Hip hop. ...

Traditional music

Traditional music in Ghana is based on two factors: ethnic groups and geography. The country is home to numerous ethnic groups, whose musical styles can be put into two main categories:

Southern

Inhabited by ethnic groups speaking broad Kwa and Gbe language groups. The cultures of these fertile forested regions were isolated from Sudanic influence that dominated the North. The music of southern groups are highly associated with social or spiritual function, and rely on complex polyrhythmical patterns played by drums and bells, as well as a stronger emphasis laid in harmonized song. Under the Southern category, there branch out two main groups: The Kwa languages are spoken in the south-eastern part of Côte dIvoire, in Ghana, Togo and Benin, and the south-Western corner of Nigeria. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross... Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ...

• Akan and Ga ethnic musical genres, including Fante, Ashanti and Akuapem groups. This category is known for complex court music, including the Akan atumpan and Ga kpanlogo styles, and a huge log xylophone used in asonko music. The Seprewa harp, which resembles a smaller kora, is the only main string instrument from the Southern and Central areas of Ghana, played by the Akan-speaking peoples and is interlinked with a long history.

• Ewe musical genres, whose folk styles are related to the music of Benin and Togo. The Ewe have also contributed popular styles, especially the agbadza and borborbor, a konkoma highlife fusion that was invented in the early 1950s in chicken Kpandu. See: Ewe music

Akan is an ethnic group from western Africa. ... GA ... The MFantsefo or Fanti are an ethnic group mainly gathered in the south-western coastal region of Ghana, with some also in the Côte dIvoire. ... Flag of the Ashanti people The Ashanti (also Asante) are a major ethnic group in Ghana. ... Kpanlogo is a recreational dance of Ghana. ... A helpful diagram of a kora. ... The Ewe people are a people of southern Ghana and Togo. ... Benin has played an important role in the African music scene, producing one of the biggest stars to come out of the continent in Angélique Kidjo. ... // Recovering from World War I and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... Kpandu is a town in the mountainous Volta Region of Ghana. ... Ewe music is the music of the Ewe people. ...

Northern

The musical styles of this region, which lies in the sparsely vegtated Sudan and Sahel grassland belts, are generally grouped into a larger Sahelian West African musical umbrella category, due to ethnic migrations and cultures historically crossing borders from the rest of the region into the country during the Songhai Empire and Mossi empires abroad, and the indigenous Dagomba, and Mamprussi states. Peoples of this region base musical composition on stringed, wind, melodic or light percussion instruments, as compared with that of Southern category, which relies mostly on complex polyrhythmic composition of a variety of drums and bells. Two main areas can be identified under the northern category: This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... See also Sahel, Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia. ... West African refers to: West Africa An airline: West African Airlines [1] This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Songhai Empire, c. ... Mossi is the name of a people living in central Burkina Faso. ... Dagomba is a kingdom in northern Ghana. ...

• North and Northeastern Ghana is known for talking drum ensembles, goje fiddle and Molo lute music, played by the Gur-speaking Frafra, Gurunsi and Dagomba nations, as well as by Hausa, Mande-speaking Ligbi and Fulani minorities.
• Upper-Northwestern Ghana is home to the Dagara, Lobi, Wala and Sissala peoples, who are known for complex interlocking Gyil xylophone folk music with double meters.

For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... The Goje, is one of the many names for a variety of one or two-stringed fiddles from West Africa, almost exclusively played by ethnic groups inhabiting the Sahel and Sudan sparsely vegetated grassland belts leading to the Sahara. ... Xalam, also spelled khalam, is the Wolof name for a traditional stringed musical instrument from West Africa. ... The Gur languages belong to the Niger-Congo languages. ... Frafra is a colonialist term given to a subset of Gurunsi peoples living in northern Ghana and their language. ... The Gurunsi are a set of ethnic groups inhabiting northern Ghana and southern Burkina Faso. ... Dagomba is a kingdom in northern Ghana. ... The Hausa are a Sahelian people chiefly located in the West African regions of northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger. ... Mande refers to: the Mandé people of western Africa the Mande or Mandinka people of western Africa any of the Mande languages the Mande or Mandinka language This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Categories: Africa-related stubs | Burkina Faso | Cameroon | Ethnic groups of Africa | Fulani Empire | Mali | Nigeria ... The Dagara are an African ethnic group. ... The Lobi are an ethnic group that originated in what is today Ghana. ... The Kingdom of Waalo (Oualo) was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. ... The gyil is a pentatonic percussion instrument, common to Ghana, Burkina Faso and Côte dIvoire. ... The xylophone (from the Greek meaning wooden sound) is a musical instrument in the percussion family which probably originated in Indonesia (Nettl 1956, p. ... “Folk song” redirects here. ...

List of Traditional Instruments

Northern

• Donno/Dondo/Lunna/Kalangu - Varieties of Hourglass-shaped Talking drums
• Goje - Traditional Fiddle
• Molo - Sahelian lute
• Musical bow
• Gyil - large resonant Xylophones
• Shekere
• Calabash

For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... The Goje, is one of the many names for a variety of one or two-stringed fiddles from West Africa, almost exclusively played by ethnic groups inhabiting the Sahel and Sudan sparsely vegetated grassland belts leading to the Sahara. ... Xalam, also spelled khalam, is the Wolof name for a traditional stringed musical instrument from West Africa. ... See also Sahel, Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia. ... For the device drawn across the strings of string instruments such as the violin to make them sound, see bow (music). ... The gyil is a pentatonic percussion instrument, common to Ghana, Burkina Faso and Côte dIvoire. ... The shekere is a unique percussion instrument from Africa. ... Binomial name Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. ...

Southern

• Aburukuwa
• Sogo
• Kidi
• Kagan
• Totodzi
• Kloboto
• Atoke
• Axatse
• Gankogui

Aburukuwa is a drum from Ghana. ... Sogo Kobe Department Store Sogo Co. ... Kagan or Kagen is popular Ashkenazi surname, particularly common among Russian Jews. ... Nereis succinea (common clam worm) in Epitoky stage Epitoky is a form of reproduction observed for polychaete marine worms. ...

Popular Music

Colonial period

During the colonial era, Africa's Gold Coast was a hotbed of musical syncretism. Rhythms from across West Africa, especially gombe and ashiko from Sierra Leone, Liberian guitar-styles like dagomba, mainline and fireman, Fante osibisaba, European brass bands and sea shanties and Christian music, were all combined into a melting pot that became highlife. Flag of Gold Coast Map from 1896 of the British Gold Coast Colony. ... Gombe can refer to Gombe State, Nigeria Gombe town, the calital of Gombe State, Nigeria. ... An Ashiko is a kind of drum shaped like a truncated cone and meant to be played with bare hands. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Dagomba is a kingdom in northern Ghana. ... In the United States, the mainline (also sometimes called mainstream) denominations are those Protestant denominations with a potpourri of conservative, moderate, and liberal theologies. ... The MFantsefo or Fanti are an ethnic group mainly gathered in the south-western coastal region of Ghana, with some also in the Côte dIvoire. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... A brass band a musical group consisting mostly or entirely of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. ... Sea shanties (singular shanty, also spelled chantey; derived from the French word chanter, to sing) were shipboard working songs. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Alternate meaning: crucible (science) The melting pot is a metaphor for the way in which heterogenous societies develop, in which the ingredients in the pot (iron, tin; people of different backgrounds and religions, etc. ...

Early split: guitar-bands and dance highlife

The most well-known form of Ghanaian music is highlife, which has become popular all across Africa and much of the rest of the world. Highlife arose among the coastal regions of Ghana and, to a lesser extent Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and other English-speaking West African colonies. In the 1920s, the word was coined to describe the dancing of the English colonials to the regimented music of native bands. Eventually, the music, originally used only for military functions, began using native songs and kpanlogo rhythms. Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana and Sierra Leone in the 1920s and spread to other West African countries. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1920s is a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Kpanlogo is a recreational dance of Ghana. ...

The word highlife comes from the 1920s, when it was used to describe parties held by the European upper-class to which the locals aspired. There were two types of highlife at the time. Dance orchestras played at the parties of the elite, while poor, rural guitarists played a kind of often-scorned music that was also called palm wine music (the term palm wine has referred to multiple styles from West Africa, but is now more commonly associated with the popular music of Sierra Leone). Originally associated with the Fante people, the guitar-based highlife spread across the country (and, to a lesser degree, abroad). The 1920s is a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Palm-wine music (known as maringa in Sierra Leone) is a West African musical genre. ... Sierra Leones music is a mixture of native and French influences. ...

Mid-20th century and the invention of Ghanaian pop

While pan-Ghanaian music had been developed for some time, the middle of the 20th century saw the development of distinctly Ghanaian pop music. Highlife incorporated elements of swing, jazz, rock, ska and soukous, and saw its first inroads into the culture of its neighbors in West Africa and across the rest of the continent. 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. Cover of Osibisa, 1971. ... Afro Rock is a style of music which relies heavily on the use of Western string instruments (electric guitars and bass) and guitar effects played with a rock feel, but played in an african plucked style. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

Guitar-bands in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s

In the 1930s, Sam's Trio, led by Jacob Sam, was the most influential of the highlife 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 highlife bands. The next major guitar-band leader was E.K.Nyame, who led the Akan Trio and sang in Twi. Nyame also added the double bass and more elements of the Western hemisphere, including jazz and Cuban music. In the 1960s, dance highlife was more popular than guitar-band highlife; most of the guitar bands began using the electric guitar until a roots revival in the mid-1970s. The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Zonophone, early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone is a record label. ... Twi (pronounced chwee) is a language spoken in Ghana by about 6 million people. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... The Caribbean island of Cuba has been influential in the development of multiple musical styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Left: Rosa Hurricane, a heavy metal-style solid body guitar. ...

Dance highlife in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s

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 and Congolese music. ET 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. King Bruce, Jerry Hansen and Stan Plange also led influential dance bands during the 1950s and 60s. By the 1970s, however, pop music from Europe and the US dominated the Ghanaian scene until a mid-1970s roots revival. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Jazz is a style of music which originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States at around the start of the 20th century. ... Musically, swing can be either: (written with small s), refers to swung notes, the rhythmic feeling evoked by swinging music, esp. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Caribbean state of Trinidad and Tobago is best known as the homeland of calypso music, including 1950s stars Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. ... Describing the music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is difficult, due to vagaries surrounding the meanings of various terms. ... E.T. Mensah (born 1919 in Accra; died 1996) was a Ghanaian Highlife musician. ... Guy Warren (born Kofi Ghanaba, 1923 in Acra) was a Ghanaian musician, best known as the inventer of Afro-jazz and a member of The Tempos. ... The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. ... Jazz is a style of music which originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States at around the start of the 20th century. ... King Bruce (b. ... // Recovering from World War I and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... For popular music (music produced commercially rather than art or folk music), see Popular music. ...

1970s: Roots revival

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, UK and Nigeria. Highlife bands like Okukuseku recorded in Lagos or Nigeria's eastern Igbo region. 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 the Ashanti Brothers, Nana Ampadu & the African Brothers, The City Boys and more. Musicians like CK Mann, Daniel Amponsah and Eddie Donkor incorporated new elements, especially from Jamaican reggae. A group called Wulomei also arose in the 1970s, leading a Ga cultural revival to encourage Ghanaian youths to support their own countrymen's music. By the 1980s, the UK was experiencing a boom in African music as Ghanaians 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 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Kwame Nkrumah with Martin Luther King, Jr. ... This article is about the city in Nigeria. ... The Igbo or Ibo are one of the largest ethnicities in Africa. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Soul To Soul was a concert held in Accra, Ghana on March 6. ... A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as; musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. ... Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American R&B/Rock and Roll and soul singer. ... Ike Turner album cover, 1963 Izear Luster Turner (born November 5 1931) is an African American musician (piano, guitar), bandleader, talent scout and record producer, best known for his work with his former wife Tina Turner. ... Binny Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939) is an seven-time Grammy Award-winning American pop/rock singer and actress. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... Yaw Amponsah and Koo Nimo Daniel Amponsah, known as Koo Nimo, is a leading folk musician of Palm wine music or Highlife music from Ghana. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ...

The Ghanaian-German community created a form of highlife called burgher 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, gospel and reggae became extremely popular. The Genesis Gospel Singers were the most widely-known gospel band. Late 1990s a new generation of artists discovered the so called hip life. The originator of this style is Reggie Rockstone, a Ghanaian musician who dabbled with hip hop in the United States before finding his unique style. Hip Life has since proliferated and spawned stars like Obrafour, Akyeame and Tic Tac. George Darko is a revolutionary in Ghanaian hilife music, changing its landscape. ... Obo Addy (b. ... Gospel music refers to the religious music that first came out of African-American churches in the first quarter of the twentieth century or, more loosely, to both black gospel music and to the religious music composed and sung by predominately white Southern Gospel artists. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

See also: Ghanaian hip hop Ghanaian hip hop is the origin of hip life, a combination of hip hop music and highlife. ...

External links

• Ghana Music Online Ghana Music News, Videos, Event Photos, Reviews
• Ghana Music.com Ghana Music News, Videos, Photos, Reviews
• Ghanamv Ghanaian music videos.
• Music in Ghana Music in Ghana.
• Ghana music lyrics, audio, blogs, more Music in Ghana.
• Ghana Base Music Powering the Ghanaian Music Online.