Home / Arts and Entertainment / Ghanaian Highlife Legend Ebo Taylor Dies at 90
Ghanaian Highlife Legend Ebo Taylor Dies at 90
8 Feb
Summary
- Ebo Taylor, a Ghanaian guitarist and composer, died at age 90.
- He was instrumental in defining and popularizing the highlife music genre.
- Taylor's music was sampled by international artists like Usher and Black Eyed Peas.
Ebo Taylor, the Ghanaian guitarist and band leader who profoundly shaped the highlife music genre, has died at 90. Born in Cape Coast in 1936, he rose to prominence in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Taylor's career, spanning over six decades, saw him fuse Ghanaian rhythms with jazz, funk, and soul. He collaborated with Nigerian artist Fela Kuti in London in the early 1960s, a period that contributed to the development of Afrobeat.
In his later career, Taylor's music found a new global audience. His tracks have been sampled by international artists including Usher, the Black Eyed Peas, and Jidenna, introducing his distinctive sound to new generations worldwide. He is remembered as a foundational figure in African popular music.
