Afrobeat is a music genre which involves the combination of elements of West African musical styles such as fuji music and highlife with American jazz and later soul and funk influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and percussion. The term was coined in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who is responsible for pioneering and popularizing the style both within and outside Nigeria.
Highlife is a music genre that originated in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British Empire. It uses the melodic and main rhythmic structures of traditional Akan music, but is played with Western instruments. Highlife is characterised by jazzy horns and multiple guitars which lead the band. Recently it has acquired an uptempo, synth-driven sound.
The music of Nigeria includes many kinds of folk and popular music, styles of folk music are related to the multitudes of ethnic groups in the country, each with their own techniques, instruments, and songs. Little is known about the country's music history prior to European contact, although bronze carvings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries have been found depicting musicians and their instruments. The largest ethnic groups are the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. Traditional music from Nigeria and throughout Africa is almost always functional; in other words, it is performed to mark a ritual such as a wedding or funeral and not to achieve artistic goals. Although some Nigerians, especially children and the elderly, play instruments for their own amusement, solo performance is otherwise rare. Music is closely linked to agriculture, and there are restrictions on, for example, which instruments can be played during different parts of the growing season.
Nico Mbarga, better known as Prince Nico Mbarga, was a highlife musician, born to a Nigerian mother and a Cameroonian father in Abakaliki, Nigeria. He is renowned for his hit song "Sweet Mother", recorded with his band Rocafil Jazz, which has been described as the best-selling song in history by an African recording artist.
"Sweet Mother" is a highlife song by the Nigerian and Cameroonian singer Prince Nico Mbarga and his band Rocafil Jazz. Released in 1976, it remains one of the most popular songs in Africa.
Igbo music is the music of the Igbo people, who are indigenous to the southeastern part of Nigeria. The Igbo traditionally rely heavily on percussion instruments such as the drum and the gong, which are popular because of their innate ability to provide a diverse array of tempo, sound, and pitch. Igbo music is generally lively, upbeat, and spontaneous which creates a variety of sounds that enables the Igbo people to incorporate music into almost all the facets of their daily lives. Some very popular Igbo music styles are Igbo highlife, Igbo rap, Odumodu.
John Collins is a UK-born guitarist, harmonica player and percussionist who first went to Ghana as a child in 1952 for a brief period and later became involved in the West African music scene after returning to Ghana in 1969.
Emmanuel Tettey Mensah, best known as E. T. Mensah, was a Ghanaian musician who was regarded as the "King of Highlife" music. He led The Tempos, a band that toured widely in West Africa.
Christogonus Ezebuiro Obinna, alias Dr. Sir Warrior, was the leader of the Oriental Brothers International Band which was famous in the Nigerian Igbo highlife music scene for several decades. He performed primarily in Nigeria, as well as performing internationally in places such as London and the United States of America with his crew. Originally, the founder of the group is Ferdinand Emeka Opara.
King (Dr.) Chief Oliver De Coque (1947-2008) Oliver Sunday Akanite was a Nigerian guitarist and one of Africa's most prolific recording artists.
Victor Abimbola Olaiya OON,, also known as Dr Victor Olaiya, was a Nigerian trumpeter who played in the highlife style. Though famous in Nigeria during the 1950s and early 1960s, Olaiya received little recognition outside his native country. Alhaji Alade Odunewu of the Daily Times called him "The Evil Genius of Highlife."
Twin-X are a Nigerian pop duo made up of identical twin brothers Tywo and Keni Akintoye.
Igbo highlife is a contemporary musical genre which combines highlife and Igbo traditional music. It first started off in the southeast region of Nigeria, during the 1950s. The genre is primarily guitar-based music, with rare characteristic blend of horns and vocal rhythms. Igbo highlife lyrics are sung mostly in Igbo with occasional infusion of Pidgin English. One of the most influential composers and performers of the music is Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe whose career spanned over 40 years. Osadebe's discography comprises numerous popular songs including the 1984 hit "Osondi Owendi" which launched him on the world stage as a pioneer of the Igbo highlife genre.
Jacob Nguni, nicknamed "Pa Jay" or "Micro-wave", was a Cameroonian singer, high-life guitarist, activist, humorist whose partnership with late Prince Nico Mbarga as a lead guitarist produced songs like Sweet Mother that redefined the era of High-life music in Africa. The song would go on to become the Africa's best selling song with 13 million copies. The song was equally voted in 2004 in a BBC poll as Africa's favourite song. He died in his sleep in the late hours of Saturday 25 April 2015 in Washington D.C.
John William Hansen popularly known as Jerry Hansen was a Ghanaian highlife musician. He was a singer, a composer, an arranger, a saxophonist and a pioneer of highlife music. He was the bandleader and founder of the Ramblers International Band. He was a founding member and the first president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).
Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, known professionally as Orlando Julius or Orlando Julius Ekemode, is a Nigerian saxophonist, singer, bandleader, and songwriter closely associated with afrobeat music.
Tony Okoroji is a Nigerian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, author and intellectual property activist. He was elected President of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) in 1989 and later became the Chairman of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). Okoroji became popular in the Nigerian music scene in the 1970s when he released albums such as Juliana, Locomotion and Akataka with a number of hit songs including Oh no Baby, Big big sugar daddy, Happy music and Oriaku. He was the producer of artistes such as King Sunny Ade and Onyeka Onwenu. In 2016, Okoroji established his own record label, TOPs Record. In 2017, Okoroji was honoured with Professional Excellence in Entertainment Industry award by Business Hallmark magazine People of the Year.
