| Day By Day was one of E.T. Mensah's biggest hits. As the acknowledged King of Highlife, E.T. Mensah (1919-1996) was an African hero and the prime exponent of the first pan-African popular music. He was a natural musician, playing piccolo in the school band in the early 1930s before taking up saxophone, organ and later trumpet. He was a founder of the original Tempos in 1948, and in 1950 he took off in his own direction with a band that introduced Ghanaian highlife to Nigeria, and which spread its influence as far as Congo and Kenya.
Following the release of earlier material on All For You this selection of recordings from the late 1950s and early 1960s traces the evolution of the Tempos' sound with several songs making key political developments such as Independence and the formation of the Ghana-Guinea-Mali union.
This is 'sweet' fruity music from the heyday of highlife by a true master. Sadly, this legendary figure is no longer with us but E.T. Mensah's music will live on as a testament to a glorious passage of African history. |
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