Reading The Genesis of Highlife: Urban Rhythms and Colonial Encounters (c. 1920s-1940s), chapter 1 of 6
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Modern Ghana
Echoes of the Gold Coast: Ghanaian Music's Enduring Legacy on Global African Soundscapes, from Highlife's Genesis to Afrobeats' Zenith
- Highlife
- Afrobeats
- Hiplife
- Ghanaian Music
- E.T. Mensah
- Sarkodie
- Stonebwoy
- Accra
- Music History
- West African Music
- Cultural Heritage
- Dance Bands
- Post-colonial Music
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Chapter 1
The Genesis of Highlife: Urban Rhythms and Colonial Encounters (c. 1920s-1940s)
This chapter explores the origins of Highlife, tracing its roots from pre-colonial Akan traditional music, European brass band influences, and palm-wine guitar styles. It examines how these diverse elements converged in the bustling port cities of the Gold Coast, particularly Accra, to create a new urban dance music that appealed to both colonial elites and the emerging African middle class.
Sources & References
- Collins, John. (1996). Highlife Time: The Story of West African Popular Music. Temple University Press.
- Shipley, Jesse Weaver. (2013). Living the Hiplife: Celebrity and Entrepreneurship in Ghanaian Popular Music. Duke University Press.
- Plageman, Nate. (2012). Highlife Saturday Night: Popular Music and Social Change in Urban Ghana. Indiana University Press.
- Emielu, Austin. (2013). Nigerian Highlife Music. Lagos: CBAAC.
- Charry, Eric. (2012). Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World. Indiana University Press.
- Collins, John. (2018). Highlife Giants: West African Dance Band Pioneers. Cassava Republic Press.
- Veal, Michael E. (2000). Fela: The Life & Times of an African Musical Icon. Temple University Press.
