Ebo Taylor
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Ebo Taylor (born 1936) is a
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
ian guitarist, composer, bandleader, record producer and arranger focusing on
highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and wester ...
and
afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...
music.


Career

Ebo Taylor has been a pivotal figure on the Ghanaian music scene for over six decades. In the late 1950s he was active in the influential
highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and wester ...
bands the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band. In 1962, Taylor took his group, the Black Star Highlife Band, to London. In London, Taylor collaborated with
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
n
afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...
star Fela Kuti as well as other African musicians in Britain at the time. Returning to Ghana, Taylor worked as a producer, crafting recordings for Pat Thomas, C. K. Mann, and others, as well as exploring solo projects, combining traditional Ghanaian material with afrobeat, jazz, and funk rhythms to create his own recognizable sound in the 1970s. He was the inhouse guitar player, arranger, and producer for Essiebons, founded by Dick Essilfie-Bondzie. Taylor's work became popular internationally with hip-hop producers in the 21st century. In 1992,
Ghetto Concept Ghetto Concept is a Canadian hip-hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of the group. History Kwajo Cinqo (Kwajo Boateng) and Dolo (Lowell Frazer) formed Ghett ...
included his afrobeats in their music. In 2008, Ebo Taylor met the Berlin-based musicians of the Afrobeat Academy band, including
saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...
Ben Abarbanel-Wolff, which led to the release of the album ''Love and Death'' with
Strut Records Strut Records is a British record label that focuses on dance music and afrobeat. History The label was "acquired and re-launched in January 2008." The label website states that "from 1999-2003, the label became renowned for its uncompromisi ...
(his first internationally distributed album). In 2010, Usher used a sample from Taylor's song "Heaven" for "
She Don't Know "She Don't Know" is a song recorded by Canadian country artist Jade Eagleson. The song was written by James Barker, Jonathan Singleton, and Travis Wood, while Wood produced the track with Todd Clark. It is the third single from his second albu ...
" with
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
. He collaborated with the Afrobeat Academy in Berlin in 2011. In 2017, his Ghanaian funk anthem "Come Along," was popular among DJs. The success of ''Love and Death'' prompted Strut to issue the retrospective ''Life Stories: Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973–1980'', in the spring of 2011. A year later, in 2012, a third Strut album, ''Appia Kwa Bridge'', was released. ''Appia Kwa Bridge'' showed that at 77 years old, Taylor remained creative, mixing traditional Fante songs and chants with children's rhymes and personal stories into his own sharp vision of highlife. He performed at the 2015 edition of the annual Stanbic Jazz Festival along with
Earl Klugh Earl Klugh ( ; born September 16, 1953) is an American acoustic guitarist and composer. He has won one Grammy award and thirteen nominations. Klugh was awarded the “1977” Best Recording Award For Performance and Sound” for his album “Fin ...
, Ackah Blay and others.


Awards and recognition

Life Time Achievement Award - 2014
Vodafone Ghana Music Awards The Ghana Music Awards, currently known as the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music awards event in Ghana established in 1999 by a local event organizer and planner company known as CharterHouse to origi ...
. Lifetime Achievement Award – 2019 Highlife Music Awards. Music Legend of the year - 2019 Ghana Business Awards. Grammy award


Selected discography

;Albums *''Palaver'' (Tabansi/ BBE Music), 2019 (rec. 1980) *''Yen Ara'' ( Mr. Bongo), 2018 *''Appia Kwa Bridge'' (
Strut Records Strut Records is a British record label that focuses on dance music and afrobeat. History The label was "acquired and re-launched in January 2008." The label website states that "from 1999-2003, the label became renowned for its uncompromisi ...
) 2012 *''Life Stories: Best of Ebo Taylor 1973–80'' (
Strut Records Strut Records is a British record label that focuses on dance music and afrobeat. History The label was "acquired and re-launched in January 2008." The label website states that "from 1999-2003, the label became renowned for its uncompromisi ...
) 2012 *''Love And Death'' (
Strut Records Strut Records is a British record label that focuses on dance music and afrobeat. History The label was "acquired and re-launched in January 2008." The label website states that "from 1999-2003, the label became renowned for its uncompromisi ...
), 2010 *''Abenkwan Puchaa'' (Essiebons), 2009 *''Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Uhuru Yenzu - Hitsville Re-Visited'' (LP) (Essiebons), 1982 *''Pat Thomas & Ebo Taylor - Calypso "Mahuno" and High Lifes Celebration'' (Pan African Records), 1980 *''Ebo Taylor & Uhuru Yenzu - Conflict'' (Essiebons), 1980Dineen, Donal
"Sunken Treasure: Ebo Taylor & Uhuru Yenzu"
''Irish Times''. 25 March 2016. *''Ebo Taylor & Saltpond Barkers Choir - Me Kra Tsie'' (LP) (Essiebons), 1979 *''Twer Nyame'' (Philips-West African-Records) 1978 *''Ebo Taylor'' (Essiebons), 1977 *''My Love And Music'' (LP) (Gapophone Records), 1976 ;Contributing artist ''
The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa ''The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 2012 featuring 1960s and 1970s African popular music. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album contains two discs: an overv ...
'' (
World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...
) 2012


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Ebo 1936 births Living people Ghanaian highlife musicians Fela Kuti Fante people St. Augustine's College (Cape Coast) alumni