Ebo Taylor

Ebo Taylor

Ebo Taylor is a Ghanaian guitarist, composer, bandleader, record producer and arranger from Cape Coast, Ghana. Born Deroy Taylor in 1936, he works in highlife, afrobeat and funk, and he remains associated with a long career on the Ghanaian music scene that spans more than six decades.

Career

In the late 1950s, Taylor is active in the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band, two influential highlife groups. In 1962 he takes his own band, the Black Star Highlife Band, to London, where he collaborates with Fela Kuti and other African musicians based in Britain. After returning to Ghana, he works as a producer and arranges recordings for artists including Pat Thomas and C.K. Mann.

During the 1970s, Taylor develops a style that combines traditional Ghanaian material with Afro-beat, jazz and funk rhythms. His recordings later gain international attention, including with hip-hop producers in the 21st century. His music is sampled by Ghetto Concept in 1992, and in 2010 Usher uses a sample from Taylor’s song “Heaven” for “She Don’t Know” with Ludacris.

Albums and collaborations

In 2008, Taylor meets Berlin-based members of the Afrobeat Academy, including saxophonist Ben Abarbanel-Wolff, which leads to Love and Death on Strut Records, his first internationally distributed album. Strut later issues the retrospective Life Stories: Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973–1980. In 2012, he releases Appia Kwa Bridge, which combines traditional Fante songs and chants with children’s rhymes and personal stories. He also collaborates with the Afrobeat Academy in Berlin in 2011.

Live work and recognition

Taylor performs at the 2015 Stanbic Jazz Festival alongside Earl Klugh, Ackah Blay and others. His track “Come Along” becomes popular with DJs in 2017. He receives several awards, including Life Time Achievement Award at the 2014 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Highlife Music Awards, and Music Legend of the Year at the 2019 Ghana Business Awards.