Thank you Prof John Collins for the information shared: a) Highlife as a genre evolved from cross cultural interactions between Western musical instruments and African idioms along the coasts of West Africa: Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria etc b) the evolved music wasn't called highlife ab initio; the claim that it was so first named in Ghana doesn't mean the origin of the genre. The genre predates the name; it was called different names in different parts of West Africa c) all over West African coasts, the music evolved as Western guitar interacted with African melodies...the crews were everywhere d) contributing to the development of the music, every West African region/nation contributed its typical rhythms, melodies, and progressions, aside general African signature rhythms
This programme is a welcome point for me, it was sent to me for my approval. In the first place my pen name is PAPA KODJO and l lived in London. John Collins has written a book on High Life. Ninety percent (90%} of the contents of that book came from me. And when I come to Ghana next time we wouldn't put the record right finally. Once again my name is PAPA KODJO
I could listen to this interview all day and never get bored. This is history that must be documented. How are these documented so generations to come will not lose track of history?
I lived in Liberia and had heard rumors that Liberia made contributions to highlife. So it does come as a surprise to me that it is a fact. Yet, the Kru sailors are rumored to have traveled as far afield as Angola
I agree that he possesses extensive knowledge about the origin and history of Ghanaian-style highlife music, which I greatly respect. One would expect that he would confine himself to this area of expertise. As he himself acknowledged, the term "highlife" is more descriptive of the lifestyle of a specific class of people during a particular time in history, characterized by their high-class lifestyle, rather than a definitive music classification. It was used to categorize a social group that danced to a fusion of local and Western music. However, when examining the genre of music that falls under the label of highlife, one realizes its vast and diverse structure and composition, making it better suited as a description of the music enjoyed by people in West Africa during a specific period in history. To speak honestly, highlife music cannot be confined to a particular social status, as it transcends such boundaries. It also cuts across age, geographical borders, and more. Unfortunately, Professor John Collins conducted most of his research on the history of highlife in Ghana without eyewitness accounts, relying instead on interviews with individuals who were supposed to have been present during the golden days of highlife music. It is a pity that he was not of age during the 1950s and 1960s, which are often referred to as the golden era of highlife. By the time he returned to Ghana in the 1970s, highlife music had undergone significant changes, especially in Nigeria due to the impact of the civil war. Regarding the issue of highlife's origins, it is entirely incorrect to claim that highlife music originated in Ghana, based on the aforementioned definition or description of highlife music. I do agree with him on the influence of the guitar picking style introduced by the Portuguese-Spanish sailor, the Liberian Krumen, from which our highlife guitar style derived. Professor Collins also mentioned that the sailors' influence did not end in Ghana; they brought it to various coastal regions like Lagos harbor, Warri, Sapele, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, and Calabar in Nigeria. Each of these regions, similar to Ghana, embraced and localized the Krumen guitar, resulting in their own unique genres of highlife music. The traditional Lagos highlife music, as played by Julius O. Araba or Tunde Nightingale, differs from what Crossdale plays in Ondo or the Eastern Nigerian highlife musicians like Sir Warrior or Celestine Ukwu. Highlife music is strongly influenced by folklore, which explains why Sir Victor Uwaifo's music or Rex Lawson's has a distinct sound. The West African Volunteers Front, stationed in five different locations in Nigeria and two in Ghana, also had a significant influence on the use of brass instruments in highlife music. Group vocal harmony arrangements, deeply rooted in church music, are a common harmonic style in Ghanaian highlife music. Consequently, the vocal harmony style in Ghanaian highlife music is largely derived from the harmonic structure of Methodist church music. However, this does not apply to Nigerian highlife, which draws more from folk traditions and utilizes percussive instruments. Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson's drumming, percussion, and beats, for example, are often based on the Kalabari Akaso worshippers' rhythms. Chief Inyang Henshaw and other musicians demonstrate similar influences. I encourage you to give it a listen. When discussing the influence of big bands and others, we cannot overlook the Cuban influence on highlife bands. We should remember Moses Simons' 1929 composition "El Manisero" (Peanut Vendor). While Bobby Benson is considered the father of big band music in Nigeria, E.T. Mensah holds that title in Ghana. According to the late elder Steve Rhodes, in an interview, he recounted E.T. Mensah's first visit to Nigeria as a band member. The band predominantly played ballroom dance music but included one or two tracks that the audience referred to as native airs, similar to what we call "Ashiko" in Nigeria or, in today's language, highlife. If anything, Nigeria influenced the arrangements of Ghanaian highlife music. Most leading highlife music bands had their music arranged for recording by Stan Plangue. Interestingly, Stan Plangue received his training in Nigeria from the late musicologist Fela Sowande. Professor John Collins focused his research solely on Ghana and attempted to apply his findings to the entire West Africa, which, in my opinion, is a significant error. Nigerian, Ghanaian, and other West African highlife music developed concurrently, each with its own indigenous folkloric culture and influences. According to the late musicologist Steve Rhodes, who was a trained scholar in Germany during the 1940s, highlife music did not originate in Nigeria from Ghana. Instead, the term "highlife" originated in Ghana, and we adopted it for our own music, such as Ashiko and other names we used to describe our music back then. I acknowledge Prof. John Collins as an authority on Ghanaian highlife music, and I believe he should leave it at that. Sincerely, Osezua Stephen-Imobhio
You don't need to be present before you can document history, there is no research which has not be done, is just the reinventing the wheel. You can also do a research to dispute his research with new evidence.
You wrote this lengthy essay full of rubbish. Nigerians only started to learn and play anything High-life when Ghanaians migrated to nigeria with their bands during era of numerous coups in Ghana. The man clearly mentions and acknowledges the influence of Liberian Kru men and Caribbeans on hi-life music, but you dishonestly overlooked it, and tried to capture that in your write up as if it wasn't discussed earlier. There is nothing in Africa Nigerians do not claim to have started or first championed. Even you claim to be the first to have started any inroads towards attaining independence, but someway somehow, Ghana gained independence first by accident.
The first ever High-Life album was recorded in London in 1926 by a Ghanaian band known as Jacob Sam and The Kumasi Trio. Did nigerians even know how music sounded like in 1926, let alone talk of high-life music?. You are just jealous bunch of uncouth people who try to discredit other African countries and their citizens for every success they attain. Everything must be about you even when it's got nothing to do with you.
Every honest knew highlife music was started in west Africa by the Kru people of Liberia Sierra Leone.. highlife music spread from the Kru people to other coastal people in west Africa, now every west African country have their own versions of highlife music
Palm wine music influenced highlife but highlife came from ghana. Highlife influenced makossa in cameroon. But makossa is Cameroonian just because makossa had other local influences. The same way, apart from palm wine music highlife music highlife had other local influences
![Efie ne fie [Version 4 - Borga hi-life] by Westcoast Ebusua.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GQw4pSiV_Mw/mqdefault.jpg)
Who is protecting and taking over the valuable research of Prof. Collins?
Kafui Dey you are too much for this one. Keep teaching 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾🔥🔥🔥
Thank you Prof John Collins for the information shared:
a) Highlife as a genre evolved from cross cultural interactions between Western musical instruments and African idioms along the coasts of West Africa: Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria etc
b) the evolved music wasn't called highlife ab initio; the claim that it was so first named in Ghana doesn't mean the origin of the genre. The genre predates the name; it was called different names in different parts of West Africa
c) all over West African coasts, the music evolved as Western guitar interacted with African melodies...the crews were everywhere
d) contributing to the development of the music, every West African region/nation contributed its typical rhythms, melodies, and progressions, aside general African signature rhythms
This programme is a welcome point for me, it was sent to me for my approval. In the first place my pen name is PAPA KODJO and l lived in London. John Collins has written a book on High Life. Ninety percent (90%} of the contents of that book came from me. And when I come to Ghana next time we wouldn't put the record right finally. Once again my name is PAPA KODJO
I could listen to this interview all day and never get bored. This is history that must be documented. How are these documented so generations to come will not lose track of history?
I lived in Liberia and had heard rumors that Liberia made contributions to highlife. So it does come as a surprise to me that it is a fact. Yet, the Kru sailors are rumored to have traveled as far afield as Angola
Fascinating account.
Really appreciate the wealth and breadth of information.
Thank you!
Niceness. Love this they say Calypso from Trinidad has it roots in Highlife
I agree that he possesses extensive knowledge about the origin and history of Ghanaian-style highlife music, which I greatly respect. One would expect that he would confine himself to this area of expertise.
As he himself acknowledged, the term "highlife" is more descriptive of the lifestyle of a specific class of people during a particular time in history, characterized by their high-class lifestyle, rather than a definitive music classification. It was used to categorize a social group that danced to a fusion of local and Western music.
However, when examining the genre of music that falls under the label of highlife, one realizes its vast and diverse structure and composition, making it better suited as a description of the music enjoyed by people in West Africa during a specific period in history.
To speak honestly, highlife music cannot be confined to a particular social status, as it transcends such boundaries. It also cuts across age, geographical borders, and more.
Unfortunately, Professor John Collins conducted most of his research on the history of highlife in Ghana without eyewitness accounts, relying instead on interviews with individuals who were supposed to have been present during the golden days of highlife music. It is a pity that he was not of age during the 1950s and 1960s, which are often referred to as the golden era of highlife.
By the time he returned to Ghana in the 1970s, highlife music had undergone significant changes, especially in Nigeria due to the impact of the civil war.
Regarding the issue of highlife's origins, it is entirely incorrect to claim that highlife music originated in Ghana, based on the aforementioned definition or description of highlife music.
I do agree with him on the influence of the guitar picking style introduced by the Portuguese-Spanish sailor, the Liberian Krumen, from which our highlife guitar style derived. Professor Collins also mentioned that the sailors' influence did not end in Ghana; they brought it to various coastal regions like Lagos harbor, Warri, Sapele, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, and Calabar in Nigeria. Each of these regions, similar to Ghana, embraced and localized the Krumen guitar, resulting in their own unique genres of highlife music.
The traditional Lagos highlife music, as played by Julius O. Araba or Tunde Nightingale, differs from what Crossdale plays in Ondo or the Eastern Nigerian highlife musicians like Sir Warrior or Celestine Ukwu. Highlife music is strongly influenced by folklore, which explains why Sir Victor Uwaifo's music or Rex Lawson's has a distinct sound.
The West African Volunteers Front, stationed in five different locations in Nigeria and two in Ghana, also had a significant influence on the use of brass instruments in highlife music.
Group vocal harmony arrangements, deeply rooted in church music, are a common harmonic style in Ghanaian highlife music. Consequently, the vocal harmony style in Ghanaian highlife music is largely derived from the harmonic structure of Methodist church music. However, this does not apply to Nigerian highlife, which draws more from folk traditions and utilizes percussive instruments. Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson's drumming, percussion, and beats, for example, are often based on the Kalabari Akaso worshippers' rhythms. Chief Inyang Henshaw and other musicians demonstrate similar influences. I encourage you to give it a listen.
When discussing the influence of big bands and others, we cannot overlook the Cuban influence on highlife bands. We should remember Moses Simons' 1929 composition "El Manisero" (Peanut Vendor). While Bobby Benson is considered the father of big band music in Nigeria, E.T. Mensah holds that title in Ghana.
According to the late elder Steve Rhodes, in an interview, he recounted E.T. Mensah's first visit to Nigeria as a band member. The band predominantly played ballroom dance music but included one or two tracks that the audience referred to as native airs, similar to what we call "Ashiko" in Nigeria or, in today's language, highlife.
If anything, Nigeria influenced the arrangements of Ghanaian highlife music. Most leading highlife music bands had their music arranged for recording by Stan Plangue. Interestingly, Stan Plangue received his training in Nigeria from the late musicologist Fela Sowande.
Professor John Collins focused his research solely on Ghana and attempted to apply his findings to the entire West Africa, which, in my opinion, is a significant error.
Nigerian, Ghanaian, and other West African highlife music developed concurrently, each with its own indigenous folkloric culture and influences. According to the late musicologist Steve Rhodes, who was a trained scholar in Germany during the 1940s, highlife music did not originate in Nigeria from Ghana. Instead, the term "highlife" originated in Ghana, and we adopted it for our own music, such as Ashiko and other names we used to describe our music back then.
I acknowledge Prof. John Collins as an authority on Ghanaian highlife music, and I believe he should leave it at that.
Sincerely,
Osezua Stephen-Imobhio
Thank you.
❤
You don't need to be present before you can document history, there is no research which has not be done, is just the reinventing the wheel. You can also do a research to dispute his research with new evidence.
You wrote this lengthy essay full of rubbish.
Nigerians only started to learn and play anything High-life when Ghanaians migrated to nigeria with their bands during era of numerous coups in Ghana.
The man clearly mentions and acknowledges the influence of Liberian Kru men and Caribbeans on hi-life music, but you dishonestly overlooked it, and tried to capture that in your write up as if it wasn't discussed earlier.
There is nothing in Africa Nigerians do not claim to have started or first championed.
Even you claim to be the first to have started any inroads towards attaining independence, but someway somehow, Ghana gained independence first by accident.
The first ever High-Life album was recorded in London in 1926 by a Ghanaian band known as Jacob Sam and The Kumasi Trio.
Did nigerians even know how music sounded like in 1926, let alone talk of high-life music?.
You are just jealous bunch of uncouth people who try to discredit other African countries and their citizens for every success they attain. Everything must be about you even when it's got nothing to do with you.
Wow .❤❤❤
God bless you King Kaf for this … can’t wait for part 2😊
It's there
We really need to set the records straight
You are good, John, this is eye-opening.
Kafui, i like your interviews.
Thank you
Fante’s has helped Ghana 🇬🇭 100%
High Life Music, Movie, Education, and more came from Fante’s
Every honest knew highlife music was started in west Africa by the Kru people of Liberia Sierra Leone.. highlife music spread from the Kru people to other coastal people in west Africa, now every west African country have their own versions of highlife music
Palm wine music influenced highlife but highlife came from ghana. Highlife influenced makossa in cameroon. But makossa is Cameroonian just because makossa had other local influences. The same way, apart from palm wine music highlife music highlife had other local influences
Insightful interview 👏
GREAT 👍🏾
Wow
Am really in school I don’t want this to end …..
Music and histrionic
Part 2 awaits
Great❤️❤️
A whole semester's work in under 1 hour
Haha
Part 2 drops on Friday.
M