The First Case of the Gha-Nigerian Mellow Madness

Ghana and Nigeria are two countries that are often lumped together in my Africa sets. They happen to be the only 2 former British colonies in West Africa, both with English as the official language. Although they are geographically separated by the slender countries of Togo and Benin, the musical cultures of the 2 countries are very close. Both countries played formative roles in the emergence of the highlife genre in the 40s and 50s, and both countries were swept up in the Afrobeat sensation of the 70s. 

My set today focuses on the mature highlife sounds from Ghana and Nigeria in the 60s and early 70s. In spite of the civil war that rocked Nigeria in the late 60s (or perhaps because of it?), highlife music from both countries during this time seemed to project and promote a sense of peace and harmony. Bandleaders gave themselves titles such as "Chief," "Cardinal," or "Saint," and bands used handles such as "Noble Kings" and "Philosophers National." This is righteous and culture-conscious music, like Reggae at its best.

I spice things up just a bit at the end with some relatively tame afrobeat groovers, but the overall mellow madness theme prevails. Enjoy.