Ebo Taylor, the legendary Ghanaian guitarist, composer, and one of the architects of highlife music, has died at the age of 90, marking the end of an era for African music.
The news of his passing was announced by his family on Sunday via his official Instagram page, though no cause of death was disclosed. According to the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Taylor died at the Saltpond Hospital. His death came just one day after the launch of the inaugural Ebo Taylor Music Festival and exactly one month after he celebrated his 90th birthday.
“The world has lost a giant. A colossus of African music,” the statement read. “Ebo Taylor passed away yesterday; a day after the launch of the Ebo Taylor Music Festival and exactly a month after his 90th birthday, leaving behind an unmatched artistic legacy. Your light will never fade.”
Born Deroy Taylor on January 6, 1936, in Cape Coast, Ebo Taylor rose to prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s when highlife dominated Ghana’s music scene. He honed his craft with leading bands such as the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band, earning acclaim for his distinctive guitar work and sophisticated arrangements that set him apart from his peers.
Across a remarkable six-decade career, Taylor consistently pushed musical boundaries, blending traditional Ghanaian rhythms with jazz, funk, soul, and early Afrobeat. In the 1960s, he took his Black Star Highlife Band to London, a move that led to a historic collaboration with Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti and further expanded his global influence.
Back home, Taylor went on to lead renowned groups including the Ghana Black Star Band and the Uhuru Dance Band, while collaborating with celebrated artists such as the Apagya Show Band, CK Mann, and Pat Thomas throughout the 1970s. Although revered in West Africa for decades, his work reached a wider international audience in 2010 with the release of Love and Death on Strut Records.
That resurgence was followed by critically acclaimed albums such as Appia Kwa Bridge (2012) and Yen Ara (2018), cementing his status as a global musical icon. His extensive catalogue includes timeless songs like Heaven, Atwer Abroba, Life Stories, Ayesama, Saana, and You Need Love.
