Ghana Month: 10 Solid Music Bands Before The 90s That Made A Mark On Ghana Music Industry

The art of combining words and sounds to produce a melodious song is one of the gifts among Ghanaians.

In the era before Ghana’s independence, the most popular music genre that existed and was well patronized was highlife. There were some highlife musicians who performed in live bands to entertain people at events.

The highlife proponents combined music genres like rock, jazz, hip-hop, and pop music.

Some popular highlife musicians who were able to form their own live bands were Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah, popularly known as E.T. Mensah, E.K. Nyame, Nana Kwame Ampadu, Kwabena Okine, Kobina Onyinah, Kwabena Nimo, and Alfred Benjamin Crentsil. There were other highlife legends like Paapa Yankson, Awurama Badu, and Nana Tuffour.

The Ghana Report’s Diary on the Ghana Month special edition will focus on Live Bands that existed before the 1990s and were well-recognized in Ghana and other countries.

• The Tempos Band 

The Tempos Live Band was formed by the late Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah somewhere 1950s after parting ways with the late Joe Lamptey who was his music teacher and had a live band called the Accra Orchestra.

The musicians in the Accra Orchestra were students of Joe Lamptey.

E.T. Mensah recruited some highlife musicians from his former band to join his newly-formed Tempos band. E.T. Mensah is regarded as the father or king of the highlife music genre in Ghana.

The band sang with passion and they were well-known in Ghana and other countries because they were often invited to events.

The Tempos made their first recording with Decca in 1952. In 1969, the Tempos went on a tour in the U.K. While in London, the band recorded an LP called ‘The King of Highlife-African Rhythms’ in Decca studios.

The Tempos Band had a Cuban rhythm section with the front line comprising two trumpets and three vocalists. The Tempos also used an electric lead and rhythm guitars and electric bass.

One historical aspect of his life was the zeal to compose a highlife song for Ghana immediately after gaining independence in 1957 titled, ‘Ghana Freedom Highlife’.

Other songs composed by E.T Mensah and his band were ‘Nkebo Baaya’, ‘Medzi medzi’, ‘Daavi Loloto’, Ghana-Guinea-Mali, Sunday Mirror, ‘Fom Fom’, ‘Abele’ and others.

Mr. Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah was born on 31st May 1919 in Accra and died in 1996 at age 77.

Although the King of Highlife is no more, his legacy still lives on.

• African Brothers Band 

The African Brothers Band was formed in 1963 by the legendary highlife musician Nana Kwame Ampadu.

He was then known as Adwomtofo Nyinaa Hene (King of the musicians). Ampadu was the lead singer and the chief songwriter of his band. He recruited other highlife musicians to join him in the singing band.

The late Nana Kwame Ampadu

In 1973, the African Brothers Band was renamed African Brothers International Band.

The band performed most of Nana Kwame Ampadu’s songs such as ‘Agatha’, ‘Wompe Masem’, ‘Sakatumbe’, ‘Oman bo adwo’, ‘Self Reliance’,  Mother, ‘Kofi Nkrabea’, ‘OBRA’ and others.

Nana Kwame Ampadu was born in 1945 and died in 2021 at the age of 76 years.

• Kakaiku Band

The Kakaiku Band was formed by Moses Kwaku Oppong, popularly known as Kakaiku on August 1, 1954.

The founder was a very good guitarist and was playing at parties and funerals with so much passion.

Like his other highlife musicians who performed in live bands, Kwaku also recruited other highlife musicians to play in his Kakaiku Band.

The name ‘Kakaiku’ was his nickname in his neighborhood and decided to name his band as such.

The band did its first recording in 1954 when the band was formed by United Africa Company.

• Osibisa Band

Ghana’s history can never forget a great music band comprising four Ghanaians and three Caribbeans known as Osibisa Band.

The Osibisa initiative was pioneered by a Ghanaian and it was formed in 1969 in London with seven members.

The founding members were Teddy Osei (saxophone), Sol Amarfio (drums), Mac Tontoh (trumpet), Spartacus R, Robert Bailey (keyboards), Wendel Richardson (lead guitar), and Lasisi Amao (percussion & tenor sax).

All the names mentioned above have joined the ancestors.

They used to perform at national events, funerals, parties, and others.

I know you are very familiar with the song, ‘Woyaya’-We will get there, heaven knows that we will get there’, yes, they are the brain behind that melodious song which has been a blessing to Ghanaians.

Watch the ‘Woyaya’ song below

• Oko International Band 

The ‘Oko International Band’ was founded by the late Oko Agyemang in the 1980s. He was a very good guitarist.

He employed good highlife musicians to join his band. He used to play in Ghana and other countries.

• Okukuseku Band

The Okukuseku live band was formed somewhere around the 1970s by Abirekyireba Kofi Sammy and other highlife musicians who have parted ways with their former bands.

The Okukuseku band was well-lauded in the past due to their great performance.

• Apollo High Kings International Band

Apollo High Kings International Band was formed by Ghanaian highlife legend Amakye Dede in Nigeria after his song “Jealousy go shame” made a wave in Nigeria.

He formed the band in 1980 and added other highlife musicians. He got the opportunity to perform with his band on the international stage.

• City Boys Band

The City Boys Band was formed by Obuoba Jackson Alfred Adofo known as J.A Adofo in 1974 with his other musician friends like Alex Oppong Asare who was a vocalist, Adu Kwasi, vocalist, Anthony Kwabena Yeboah, vocalist Elvis Yeboah, vocalist, and a guitarist as well.

J.A. Adofo was also a vocalist and a guitarist.

The band performed locally and in other countries.

• Ahenfo Band

Another band that was popular and performed to the expectations of Ghanaians was the Ahenfo Band initiated by the late Alfred Benjamin Crentsil Jr in 1982.

A.B. Crenstil formed the group together with some highlife musicians.

Soon after the band was formed, it released ‘Tantie Alaba’ and the controversial and erotic song ‘Moses’ which was top-notch 4 or more decades.

• Wulomei Live Band

The  ‘Wulomei’ Live Band was founded in 1973 by a Ga drummer called Nii Ashitey and the dramatist Saka Acquaye. ‘Wulomei’ literally means “chief priest” and is a folk revival band from Accra inspired by the Ga sea shanties, kolo mashies (a Ga form of street highlife), Cuban pachangas and kpanlogos (a mixture of highlife and local drumming).

This band was loved by all tribes in the olden days. They used energy and passion in performing at shows.

They played at parties, festivals, national programs, and others.

They composed songs like ‘Meridian’, ‘Kaafo’, ‘Menye Menye’, ‘mibe shi dinn’, ‘Akrowa’, ‘Kaa Gba’, ‘Aklowa’, ‘Takoradi’

Their songs still live on.

Enjoy one of their songs ‘Meridian