Originating in Ghana and Nigeria in the early 20th century, Highlife is a vibrant genre of African music that is a fusion of traditional African rhythms with Western music. There are two main forms of the highlife genre: guitar ensembles with a jazz-sounding brass section, and exclusively guitar ensembles in rural areas. The name of the genre dates back to the 1920s and originated from the designation of the European “highlife” style.
Initially “highlife” was the music of the societal Ghanaian elite: music in this style was performed at private events with expensive entrance fees and dress codes, but the genre quickly became popular among people from all walks of life. Highlife began to take shape during the Second World War, influenced by swing music when the musicians from Ghana started incorporating Western influences (swing, calypso, foxtrot) with such elements of traditional Ghanaian Akan music and Kranlogo Music of the Ga people as the 9th harmonic, the severe harp-lute and the gankogul bell and lyrics in local languages (Igbo, Yoruba, Twi). Subgenres of Highlife are Hiplife, Igbo Highlife, and Joromi.
Pioneer of Highlife was Emmanuel Tettey Mensah (1919-1996), the bandleader of “The Tempos”. He has also performed as a solo musician. Famous Highlife musicians who contributed much to this genre were Guy Warren, also the “The Tempos” member, Victor Uwaifo, Oliver De Coque, Osita Osadebe, E.K.Nyame, Bonny Benson, and Victor Olaiya.
Mensah got his nickname „The King of Highlife” in 1956, when he had a musical performance with Armstrong in Accra. Osita Osadebe (1936-2007), musician and composer, was also named “Nigeria’s King of Highlife”. His early work is characterized by more danceable rhythms and light lyrics, while his later work is characterized by social themes. The theme of many of his songs is overcoming difficulties: ‘Nwanne m ebizina‘ (Brother stop crying) or ‘Makojo‘ [anyi ga-ebi] (No matter how bad things are, [we will continue to live]).
In the 1940s, the Highlife genre underwent major changes as two trends emerged within the genre, namely dance band highlife and guitar band highlife. Dance band Highlife was more prevalent in the cities, while the guitar band Highlife was often played by musicians in rural areas.
Moreover, Highlife music had a lasting impact on many African music styles as Afrobeat and Afropop. Beginning in the late 1950s, the Highlife genre began to attract the interest of Western musicians. For example, Louis Armstrong played in Ghana in 1956 and 1960. One of the African musicians who is believed to have introduced Highlife music to the United States was Guy Warren. He visited America many times where he played with Duke Ellington and recorded his albums.
As for themes, Highlife lyrics address many different topics, including national and political topics, but also challenges of ordinary everyday life. A prime example of a song in the Highlife genre and dealing with a political theme is E.T. Mensah’s “Ghana Freedom”.The name Highlife largely corresponds to the emotional mood and image of this music genre, which enunciates the joy of living. Interestingly, in the German city of Hamburg, immigrants from Ghana have also created their version of Highlife, called Burger Highlife. One of the most important Subgenre of Highlife music is Igbo Highlife, the Nigerian Highlife. This is a very modern electronic version of a traditional African genre of music with elements of disco, synth pop, and funk.
The popularity of Highlife stretched and experienced an important transformation and is still an important element in the African cultural scene.
If you have never listened to Highlife music before, you should do it now!