Taylor, who did for Ghanaian music what his friend Fela Kuti did for Nigeria, has been called the greatest rhythm guitarist in history
Ghanaian musician Ebo Taylor, a definitive force behind the highlife genre, has died age 90.
His son Kweku Taylor announced the news on Sunday: “The world has lost a giant. A colossus of African music. Ebo Taylor passed 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. Dad, your light will never fade.”
A spokesperson for the Ghanaian president told the BBC’s Newsday programme that Taylor would “be remembered as one of our greatest musicians ever ... a man who strove to put Ghanaian music on the global map at a time when other genres of music were prominent”.
A recent interview on the music website Passion of the Weiss hailed Taylor as “the greatest rhythm guitarist in history … with complete originality, he incorporated the diverse rhythmic traditions of the Ga, Ewe, Dagomba and his own Akan people into his compositions.”
