{"id":2639,"date":"2026-02-09T15:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2639"},"modified":"2026-02-09T15:23:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:23:33","slug":"ebo-taylor-ghanaian-highlife-icon-who-collaborated-with-fela-dies-at-90","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2639","title":{"rendered":"Ebo Taylor, Ghanaian highlife icon who collaborated with Fela, dies at 90"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ebo Taylor, the iconic Ghanaian guitarist and composer whose work helped define the highlife genre, has passed away at the age of 90.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His family announced the news on Sunday via\u00a0his Instagram page, although the cause of death was not revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Love and Death\" width=\"980\" height=\"735\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZkHzk07vb_w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Taylor died at the Saltpond Hospital, according to a statement from the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His death came just one day after he launched the inaugural Ebo Taylor Music Festival, and exactly one month after celebrating his 90th birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe world has lost a giant. A colossus of African music,\u201d the post reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEbo Taylor\u00a0passed away yesterday; a day after the launch of Ebo Taylor Music Festival and exactly a month after his 90th birthday, leaving behind an unmatched artistry legacy. @ebo.taylor your light will never fade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born Deroy Taylor in Cape Coast on January 6, 1936, he rose to prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s, an era when highlife was Ghana\u2019s dominant musical form. Playing with leading bands like the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band, he gained a reputation for his distinctive guitar style and intricate arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taylor\u2019s six-decade career was marked by prolific innovation. He masterfully fused Ghanaian rhythms with jazz, funk, soul, and early Afrobeat, influencing generations of musicians both within Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A pivotal moment came in the 1960s when he took his Black Star Highlife Band to London, leading to a historic collaboration with the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He later led renowned groups such as the Ghana Black Star Band and the Uhuru Dance Band in Ghana, and collaborated with greats like the Apagya Show Band, CK Mann, and Pat Thomas throughout the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While a celebrated figure in West Africa for decades, Taylor gained broader international recognition in 2010 with the release of \u2018Love and Death\u2019 on Strut Records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was followed by acclaimed albums including \u2018Appia Kwa Bridge\u2019 (2012) and \u2018Yen Ara\u2019 (2018). His vast catalogue of influential songs includes \u2018Heaven\u2019, \u2018Atwer Abroba\u2019, \u2018Life Stories\u2019, \u2018Ayesama\u2019, \u2018Saana\u2019, and \u2018You Need Love\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taylor is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Ghanaian music history. <a href=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.thecable.ng\/ebo-taylor-dead\/\">(TheCable)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ebo Taylor, the iconic Ghanaian guitarist and composer whose work helped define the highlife genre, has passed away at the age of 90. His family announced the news on Sunday via\u00a0his Instagram page, although the cause of death was not revealed. Taylor died at the Saltpond Hospital, according to a statement from the Musicians Union [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[2603,2944,1773,36,2945,752],"class_list":["post-2639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-afrobeat","tag-ebo-taylor","tag-fela-kuti","tag-ghana","tag-highlife","tag-music"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ebo Taylor, Ghanaian highlife icon who collaborated with Fela, dies at 90 - Tona Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ebo Taylor, the iconic Ghanaian guitarist and composer whose work helped define the highlife genre, has passed away at the age of 90.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2639\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ebo Taylor, Ghanaian highlife icon who collaborated with Fela, dies at 90 - 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