Highlife is a West African music genre played on instruments from Europe and the United States. Ghanaian and Nigerian highlife music combines African music genres with rock, jazz, hip-hop, and pop music. Highlife is a soft and danceable music genre created in Ghana. Highlife derives form from Akan traditional music.
The use of Western instruments common to the broader Jazz genre gives Highlife music a Jazz texture. Indeed, Highlife is a more colorful variant of Jazz. Elements of Highlife are also active in Southern African genres like Sungura. Highlife inspired other genres such as Igbo-highlife, found in Eastern Nigeria, and Burger-Highlife.
Highlife music is strongly ingrained in West African culture, notably in Ghana and Nigeria. Highlife - Ghana’s urban dance music - has had enormous influence throughout West Africa, but its roots are firmly embedded in the clubs and dance halls of the colonial Gold Coast. Here, in the early years of Ghana’s independence in the late 1950s, it effectively became the national music, and over the last half-century has proved to be one of the most popular, enduring and adaptable African styles.
Highlife is a genre of West African music that emerged in the late 19th century, primarily in Ghana, and later spread to Nigeria. It encompasses multiple local fusions of African metre and western jazz melodies. Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas.
It was originally associated with the elite and urban centers, evolving out of a fusion of local Akan rhythms, colonial military brass bands, and Western musical styles, such as European ballroom music, and jazz. The genre also drew influences from traditional Ghanaian music styles like Akan and Kpanlogo.
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The highlife story begins in the early years of the twentieth century, when various African and European influences - including church music, military brass-band music and sea shanties - were combined with the Gold Coast’s own local rhythms and idioms. The genre took root during the colonial era when European military and brass bands were introduced to Ghana (then the Gold Coast). Local musicians began to integrate these foreign musical influences with traditional African sounds.
The earliest highlife orchestras were brass bands and dance orchestras, such as the Excelsior Orchestra and the Jazz Kings in Accra, as well as the Winneba Orchestra and Ashanti Nkramo Orchestra in Cape Coast. The term was coined in the 1920s and referred to the high-class, top-hat-and-tails dance evenings that had become fashionable among the Ghanaian elite, with music provided by ballroom and ragtime bands such as Excelsior Orchestra, Jazz Kings, the Accra Orchestra and Cape Coast Sugar Babies.
In these early stages, highlife was mainly an elite form of entertainment, often performed at European-style balls and social events, which is why the genre's name emerged. The term "highlife" was coined in the mid-1920s by lower-income people who couldn't afford to enter the fancy clubs where the music was played but could hear it from outside. They referred to it as "high life" because it was associated with the luxurious lifestyle of the wealthy.
As the genre evolved, it absorbed elements of American jazz and swing, which became popular in the 1930s and 1940s due to the presence of American soldiers in West Africa during World War II. During this period, E.T. Mensah, widely known as the "King of Highlife," rose to prominence in Ghana. Mensah was instrumental in transforming highlife into a more accessible and popular genre, especially by incorporating jazz and calypso elements. He led the famous Tempos Band, one of the most influential groups in highlife history.
Highlife reached its golden age in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly after Ghana gained independence in 1957. Highlife music became a symbol of national pride and cultural identity, both in Ghana and in Nigeria. It thrived across both countries, where musicians like Victor Olaiya, Rex Lawson, and Bobby Benson in Nigeria helped to expand the genre's reach.
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Flag of Ghana, a symbol of national pride during Highlife's golden age.
Key Elements and Styles
The roots of highlife are a collage of music, from traditional African music to colonial marching band music, to hymn singing and church music. And as the century went on it absorbed different influences from around the world. So it's got a bit of jazz, a bit of swing, it's got a bit of blues, it's got a bit of Latin music. Highlife is a continually changing and evolving music. You get so many different combinations that make up this umbrella term 'highlife'.
Highlife music is composed of an intro, a verse, a chorus, and an instrumental break, and its style is distinguished by its lively, danceable pace and infusion of Western musical elements such as swing, jazz, and blues. Highlife is also noted for its emphasis on musical virtuosity and improvisation.
Highlife music's vocal style is distinguished by its smooth, lyrical delivery and inclusion of African harmonies and rhythms. The vocals are frequently performed in a call-and-response format, with the main vocalist improvising and being responded by a chorus. The vocal style of highlife music reflects this by being bright and energetic.
Highlife music topics frequently concentrate around social and cultural concerns, love, and ordinary life experiences. Love, heartbreak, marriage, and relationships are common themes in highlife music. They may also discuss political and social themes like as colonialism, independence, and the fight for liberty and equality. Highlife is also noted for its bright, positive atmosphere, which represents the cultural norms of the West African communities from whom it originated.
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The brass section, which comprises trumpet, trombone, and saxophone, adds a vibrant and energetic vibe to the song, while the guitar and keyboard add a bluesy and jazzy flavor. African percussion instruments, such as the talking drum and xylophone, lend a complex rhythmic character to the song, which is further enhanced by the use of improvisation.
Brass instruments such as trumpets and saxophones are commonly used in highlife music arrangements, as are rhythm section instruments such as drums and percussion, and string instruments such as guitar and bass.
Regional Variations and Influences
Highlife has its origins in the 1800s, where Ghana's traditional palm wine music fused with the colonial sounds bought over from the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Portugal. Palm-wine music, also known as maringa in Sierra Leone, was one style that originated on coastal locations when local musicians began using portable instruments brought by traders and fused it with local string and percussion instruments. It was usually played in a syncopated 4/4 metre. This music was played in low class palm-wine bars at ports where sailors, dock workers, and working class locals would drink and listen to the music.
Eventually this genre worked its way inland and a more Africanized version came containing 12/8 polyrhythms, this would be known as the "Native Blues". A style of highlife that resembled western brass bands in European forts across West Africa. The military would use local musicians in their brass band regiments and taught them linear marching music. After these musicians saw how the West Indian regimental bandsmen practiced traditional music in their spare time it inspired them to do the same. The fusion of linear marching music with polyrhythmic local music created a danceable style called adaha, as well as a style with cheaper, local instruments called konkoma.
In the 1920s, Ghanaian musicians incorporated foreign influences like the foxtrot and calypso with Ghanaian rhythms like osibisaba (Fante). Highlife was associated with the local African aristocracy during the colonial period, and was played by numerous bands including the Jazz Kings, Cape Coast Sugar Babies, and Accra Orchestra along the country's coast. The high class audience members who enjoyed the music in select clubs gave the music its name.
In the 1940s, the music diverged into two distinct streams: dance band highlife and guitar band highlife. Guitar band highlife featured smaller bands and, at least initially, was most common in rural areas. Because of the history of stringed instruments like the seprewa in the region, musicians were happy to incorporate the guitar. They also used the dagomba style, borrowed from Kru sailors from Liberia, to create highlife's two-finger picking style. Guitar band highlife also featured singing, drums and claves. E.K. Nyame and his Akan Trio helped to popularize guitar band highlife, and would release over 400 records during Nyame's lifetime.
E.K. Nyame and his Akan Trio, pioneers of guitar band highlife.
Dance band highlife, by contrast, was more rooted in urban settings. In the post-war period, larger dance orchestras began to be replaced by smaller professional dance bands, typified by the success of E.T. Mensah and the Tempos. As foreign troops departed, the primary audiences became increasingly Ghanaian, and the music changed to cater to their tastes. Mensah's fame soared after he played with Louis Armstrong in Accra in May 1956, and he eventually earned the nickname, the "King of Highlife". Also important from the 1950s onward was musician King Bruce, who served as band leader to the Black Beats.
Highlife in the Diaspora
Highlife's influence transcended Ghana's borders, resonating with Ghanaians and their diaspora globally. Economic migration in the 1960s and political instability in later decades led to the spread of Highlife communities across the West, with Germany emerging as a preferred destination. Ghanaians in Germany created a secular style of highlife that combined the genre with funk, disco, and synth-pop. It is believed it was called burger highlife because the largest communities of Ghanaians resided in Hamburg. The music became associated with migrants who would travel between Germany and Ghana.
Considered one of the most popular music genres to both Ghanaians and its diaspora, gospel highlife has outlived burger highlife because of its success in blurring the lines between religion and pop culture. This genre is similar to burger highlife but its inspiration comes from Charismatic Christianity and Pentecostalism.
Notable Highlife Artists
The dance orchestra leader Yebuah Mensah (E.T. Mensah's older brother) told John Collins in 1973 that the term 'highlife' appeared in the early 1920s "as a catch-phrase for the orchestrated indigenous songs played at [exclusive] clubs by such early dance bands as the Jazz Kings, the Cape Coast Sugar Babies, the Sekondi Nanshamang and later the Accra Orchestra. Jacob Asare (also known as Kwame Asare or Jacob Sam) is credited as the first Ghanaian musician to record a song in the highlife genre. In June 1928, he and his group, the Kumasi Trio, recorded "Yaa Amponsah" (Amponsah Parts I & II) in London for the Zonophone label.
E.T. Mensah and Kofi Ghanaba were important musicians in Ghana. From the late 1950s, famous jazz musicians began to visit Ghana, such as Ahmad Jamal and Louis Armstrong who played in Ghana (1956 and 1960). An invitation to a concert featuring Louis Armstrong "from America" and E. T. Guy Warren was one notable musician who played with E.T. Mensah and the Tempos before moving to America and working with musicians such as Red Saunders to record the album Africa Speaks, America Answers, as well as playing with Duke Ellington in Chicago for a short time.
| Artist | Contribution |
|---|---|
| E.T. Mensah | Popularized dance band highlife, collaborated with Louis Armstrong, known as the "King of Highlife." |
| E.K. Nyame | Pioneered guitar band highlife, released over 400 records. |
| Jacob Asare (Kwame Asare) | Credited as the first Ghanaian musician to record a highlife song. |
| Guy Warren | Bridged African and African-American musical traditions, collaborated with jazz musicians in America. |
Highlife is more than just a musical genre; it's a reflection of Ghana's rich cultural heritage and its enduring spirit of resilience and creativity. From its humble origins in coastal bars to its global influence in the diaspora, Highlife continues to captivate audiences with its infectious rhythms and timeless melodies.
Step into many of the nightclubs in Ghana's cities and more often than not you'll be confronted with the throbbing beats and visceral energy of hiplife. A blend of hip hop, dancehall and reggae, hiplife has become a favourite of DJs and clubbers alike. But this wasn't always the case. Ghana's musical map was once dominated by highlife - a genre so diverse it managed to not just survive western influence, but incorporate the disparate styles imported to the country over centuries to produce an effervescent sound which reflects the vibrancy of Ghana itself.
'Highlife is a real mirror of the 20th century in terms of music. There are a lot of different modern music forms that came out of this era, and highlife is one of them.
The era covered by this album was a really fertile period in Ghana's musical history. It was a time when bands were given the freedom to experiment and make really interesting and quite out there, ahead of their time records that have stood the test of time, and still sound really fresh 30 to 40 years later.
Ten years in the making, Ghana Special is full of tracks which didn't fit the afro-beat mould of Soundway's previous two Ghana inspired releases, Ghana Soundz volumes one and two, but were nevertheless hoarded by Miles on his numerous trips to Accra and Kumasi. Despite highlife's popularity, collating the records for the 'Ghana Special' compilation was no easy task. Many of the more obscure tracks with a limited press were hard to find, plus many of the shops and outlets that thrived along with the scene have shut.
But with the help of people in the scene - including the head of Kumasi based label, Ambassador Records, whose artists provide some of the tracks for the album - and some serious digging in Kumasi's central market, Miles managed to put together a collection of tracks which enlighten listeners on the evolution of highlife. Hiplife may be the dominant musical force in Ghana right now, but highlife lives on. Not only through the efforts of Miles and his insatiable appetite for unearthing the forgotten gems of the scene, but also through the people who were involved and the new breed of musicians who have one eye on the past and are adding to the nature of highlife's ever evolving nature.
'Alliance Francaise is a really good place in Accra. 'I think there is a real band of musicians, especially in Accra, who are really desperate to try and do something new and interesting on a live tip. But I think things are changing and there is more of a highlife influence. You get people sampling old highlife tracks and redoing old highlife tracks in a slightly new style, but I think hiplife...well, most of the highlife musicians I've spoken to, wouldn't regard hiplife as anything to do with highlife really.
Highlife Music originated from Nigeria🇳🇬 or from GHANA 🇬🇭? | Convos with Prof. John Collins PART 1
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