Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The Ghanaian highlife musician has died aged 90 šļø
Born in Cape Coast in 1936, Taylor emerged in the late '50s as a key figure in Ghana's evolving highlife scene, studying music in London alongside future Afrobeat architect Fela Kuti before returning home to become a prolific arranger, producer and bandleader.
Across the '70s and '80s, he fused highlife with jazz, funk and Afrobeat on records such as My Love And Music, Twer Nyame and Conflict Nkru!, laying down elastic rhythms, bright horns and hypnotic guitar lines that would travel far beyond West Africa.
Remixes by Ron Trent and Henrik Schwarz further embedded his sound in contemporary club culture, and he continued performing well into his later years, appearing at European festivals such as Nuits Sonores, We Out Here and Festivalle as recently as 2024.
The news of his death was announced through his Instagram page with a post confirming that his death occurred immediately after the launch of the Ebo Taylor Music Festival. "The world has lost a giant," the post read. "A colossus of African music."
The Ghanaian highlife musician has died aged 90 šļø
Born in Cape Coast in 1936, Taylor emerged in the late '50s as a key figure in Ghana's evolving highlife scene, studying music in London alongside future Afrobeat architect Fela Kuti before returning home to become a prolific arranger, producer and bandleader.
Across the '70s and '80s, he fused highlife with jazz, funk and Afrobeat on records such as My Love And Music, Twer Nyame and Conflict Nkru!, laying down elastic rhythms, bright horns and hypnotic guitar lines that would travel far beyond West Africa.
Remixes by Ron Trent and Henrik Schwarz further embedded his sound in contemporary club culture, and he continued performing well into his later years, appearing at European festivals such as Nuits Sonores, We Out Here and Festivalle as recently as 2024.
The news of his death was announced through his Instagram page with a post confirming that his death occurred immediately after the launch of the Ebo Taylor Music Festival. "The world has lost a giant," the post read. "A colossus of African music."
