Ebo Taylor

Ebo Taylor
Ebo Taylor
	Cape Coast (en) , Ko'oro 6, 1936
Country of citizenship	Ghana
Place of death	Saltpond (mul) , Gunfuko 7, 2026
Education
Educated at	St. Augustine's College (en)
Languages spoken, written or signed	English (en)
Occupation
Occupation	musician (en)
Genre	highlife

Ba dɔge Ebo Taylor la 6th January, 1936. A daa de la 'guitarist, compoosa, bunŋme'ela nɛŋadaana, la se'em n tigesi 'highlife' la 'afrobeat' yuuma.

A Vom la a Tuuma Yɛla

Ba daa dɔge dee sigɛ a yu'urɛ la Deroy Taylor ^[1]bɔna Cape Coast tinga puan, sansɛka ti ba daa wi'ira bilam to Gold Coast Colony la. Ba daa dɔgɛ en la 6th January 1936 ^[2]. A daa wa de na la yuuma ayoobi dee posɛ ŋme'era 'piano'.^[3]

Taylor daa de la nerezuo bɔna Ghana yuuma yɛla puan ti la yuue paakɛ buuri tuusum buyoobi zuo. Bɔna 1950 pooren la, a daa kɔ'ɔm de na la se'e'm yele n daa pakɛ bɔna 'highlife' yuuma yɛla puan, la 'stargazers la 'Broadway' wa'a yuuma ŋme'a puan. Bɔna 1962, Taylor daa tari a tigere la, 'the black star highlife' siŋɛ la Landon tiŋa puan. Bilam ti eŋa la Nigeria 'afrobeat' nerekatɛ n de Fela Kuti la African yuun-yuuneba basɛba. ^[4]^[5]

Taylor n daa wa leme Ghana tiŋa puan la, a daa tum bɔ yuun-yuuneba zo'e zo'e, magese wuu Pat Thomas la C.K Mann dee me kelum tum Solo tuuma, nya tari Ghana duma yuuma ta pa'asɛ 'afrobeat la jazz la funk rhythm puan ti a ta'am dikɛ tigese a mɛŋa yuuma bɔna 1970s la puan. A daa de la deon guitat ŋme'era, la tigesa la maala bɔ'ɔra Essiebons, sɛla ti Dick Essilfie Bondzie yuuma tari wa'am la.^[6]

Bɔna 1992, 'Getto Concept' duma daa dikɛ 'afrobeat' pa'asɛ ba tuuma puan mɛ.

Taylor tuuma daa nyɛ yu'urɛ mɛ suŋa suŋa bɔna tiŋa woo puan la 'hip-hop producers' bɔna 21st century puan. ^[7] Bɔna 2008, Taylor daa wa lagum la Berlin yuun-yuuneba bɔna 'afrobeat sukuu 'band puan, la saxophonist Ben Abarbanel-Wolff, bilam ti a daa ta ŋmɛ 'album mina n de nɔŋerɛ la kum la Strut Records (a wia 'album' sɛka n daa wirikɛ tiŋa woo puan la) bɔna 2010 puan.^[8]^[9]^[10] yuun dena nuu ti Usher me daa sɛla ze'ele Taylor yuunɛ la puan ''Heaven'' la ''she don't know'' la Ludacries.^[11] Black Eyed Peas la Kelly Rowland la Jidenna, Vic Mensa la Rapsody me.daa lagesɛ a yuuma la mɛ.^[12]^[13]

A me daa le tum la 'Afrobeat Academy n boi Berlin 2011 puan. Bɔna 2017, a Ghana yuunse'ere n de 'come along' la daa wa yese siŋɛ zaakɛ mɛ.

Nɔŋerɛ la kum yuunɛ la suŋa n daa basɛ ti Strut tari a vom puan yelekɛ'ɛsi wa'ana. 'Highlife la Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980 bɔna 2011 puan la. Yuunɛ pooren, bɔna 2012, ti ' Strut abum ntã zuo daa n de 'Appia Kwasi Bridge daa yese na. Appia Kwa Bridge daa pa'ale ti Taylor n daa pugum de na yuuma 77 la dee a daa kɔ'ɔm kelum tiniest mɛ suŋa suŋa dee tana dikera Fante yuuma laguna la kɔma rhymes la a vom yɛla ita a highlife yuuma puti'ire la puan.^[14]

A daa yuun mɛ bɔna 2015 Stanbic Jazz yuune woo tigesegɔ la puan. Eŋa la Earl Klugh, Ackah Blay la nɛreba basɛba.

Bɔna 2025, Taylor daa de la yuuma 89 dee kelum to'e pɛka suŋa ze'ele United States dɔla la 'Jazz' ki ya daalesum puan. De na de la yuuma zo'e zo'e n tole pooren n bala, Africa so'olum yuuma yɛla puan, bii 'New York Times Articles puan ti David Peisner gulesɛ yele se'em la.^[15]

Kum Yɛla

Ebo Taylor ki la February 7, 2026 bɔna Saltpond tiŋa n boi Ghana Coast bɔba la.^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]

Yuun-yuuneba tigire n boi Ghana (MUSIGA), daa doose ba tigire nɛŋadaana poore n de Bessa Simons siŋɛ ta pu'usɛ a buuri n boi Saltpond.^[20]^[21]

Awɔɔtiduma la yu'ure zekerɛ yɛla

. Vom dabesa nyuuro Awɔɔti -2014 Vodafone Ghana Awards^[22]

. Vom dabesa nyuuro Awɔɔti -2019 Highlife yuuma Awɔɔti ^[23]

. Yuuma nɛrekatɛ Awɔɔti bɔna yuunɛ la puan -2019 Ghana Business Awards^[24]

Discography a si'a

Albums

My Love and Music (LP) (Gapophone Records), 1976

Ebo Taylor (Essiebons), 1977

Twer Nyame (Philips-West African-Records), 1978

Me Kra Tsie - Ebo Taylor & Saltpond Barkers Choir (LP) (Essiebons), 1979

Conflict - Ebo Taylor & Uhuru Yenzu (Essiebons), 1980[23]

Calypso "Mahuno" and High Lifes Celebration - Pat Thomas & Ebo Taylor (Pan African Records), 1980

Hitsville Re-Visited - Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas & Uhuru Yenzu (LP) (Essiebons), 1982

Abenkwan Puchaa (Essiebons), 2009

Love and Death (Strut Records), 2010

Life Stories: Best of Ebo Taylor 1973–80 (Strut Records), 2012

Appia Kwa Bridge (Strut Records), 2012

Yen Ara (Mr. Bongo), 2018

Palaver (Tabansi/BBE Music), 2019 (rec. 1980)

Ebo Taylor JID022 (Jazz Is Dead), 2025

viisegɔ lɔgerɔ

[1] ttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e9p04n8y9o

[2] ttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/13/ebo-taylor-obituary

[3] ttps://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2026/02/08/ghana-music-legend-ebo-taylor-dies-at-90/

[4] ttps://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-releases/introduction-ghanaian-afrobeat-ebo-taylor

[5] ttps://kofimusings.com/2012/09/19/tales-from-a-troski-his-name-is-ebo-taylor/

[6] ttps://edition.cnn.com/style/article/ebo-taylor-ghanian-highlife-aag/index.html

[7] ttps://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-25657461

[8] ttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/love-and-death-the-new-al_b_764735

[9] ttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/love-and-death-the-new-al_b_764735

[10] ttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/07/the-playlist-world-and-folk-music-caetano-veloso-moriarty-shirley-collins-ebo-taylor-and-more

[11] ttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/14/ebo-taylor-review

[12] ttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e9p04n8y9o

[13] ttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/feb/09/ebo-taylor-ghanaian-highlife-pioneer-dies-age-90

[14] Archive copy.

[15] ttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/arts/music/ebo-taylor-jazz.html

[16] ttps://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2026/02/08/ghana-music-legend-ebo-taylor-dies-at-90/

[17] ttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/feb/09/ebo-taylor-ghanaian-highlife-pioneer-dies-age-90

[18] ttps://nowaccra.com/2026/02/08/influential-ghanaian-highlife-musician-ebo-taylor-dies-at-90/

[19] ttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/arts/music/ebo-taylor-dead.html

[20] ttps://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/MUSIGA-commiserates-with-Ebo-Taylor-s-family-one-week-observation-date-announced-2023106

[21] ttps://www.myjoyonline.com/musiga-pays-condolence-visit-to-family-of-late-ebo-taylor/

[22] Archive copy.

[23] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20191109092627/https://shinepublications.com/2019/09/11/highlife-music-awards-2019-receives-praises-from-industry-players/

[24] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebo_Taylor#cite_note-22

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