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01. Dr. Victor Olaiya & E.T. Mensah - Trumpet Highlife
02. Opotopo - Belama
03. Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men - Numfinye (Nome Alobo)
04. Stan Plange And The Uhuru Dance Band - Grazing In The Grass
05. St Augustine - Jolosho
06. Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men - Yellow Sisi
07. Stan Plange And The Uhuru Dance Band - Dabra Ba
08. Opotopo With Fatai Rolling Dollar - Won Bum
09. Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe - Makojo
01. Sir Victor Uwaifo And The Melody Maestroes - Joromi
02. Dr. Victor Olaiya - Mofe Muyan
03. Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men - Oko
04. Stan Plange & The Uhuru Dance Band - Aasem
05. Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men - Peri Special Mbanga
06. Dan Satch And His Atomic 8 - Ikoro Special
07. Chief Enyang Henshaw - Esonta
08. Professional Seagulls Band - Afro Baby
09. Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men - Pay Me My Money Now
10. Opotopo - Etuk Owo
11. Akana Man - Okina
ARTIST
TITLE
Highlife Time
FORMAT
2CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
VAMPI 101CD VAMPI 101CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
6/7/2011

2008 release. Nigerian & Ghanaian Sound From The 60s And Early 70s. Highlife, dance music played mostly in Ghana and Nigeria, represents one of the century's first fusions of African roots and western music, and before 1970 it ruled dancefloors across much of West Africa. The story of West African big-band highlife is the story of West African independence itself. From its early roots in church music, old African song forms, sea shanties and military brass bands to the orchestra podiums of the slickest nightclubs and concert halls of Lagos and Accra, highlife has charted the growing confidence of a proud and gifted people casting off the shackles of empire: a people ready to live the High Life. Accra's E.T. Mensah was the pioneer, but Lagos was not far behind, with superstars such as Roy Chicago, Rex Lawson and Dr. Victor Olaiya performing to packed dancefloors where, unusually for West Africa, ethnicity didn't matter -- Igbo people danced with Hausas, and Efik guys with Yoruba women. West Africa was prosperous, there was work for all -- and for several glorious years, highlife was the soundtrack for the good times. In 1967 the tragic Biafran War wrought three years of misery in eastern Nigeria, but soon after highlife came to the rescue, the '70s music of legends such as Stephen Osita Osadebe helping to heal the scars as only music can. In this collection you'll find all of these highlife stars and more, from the most celebrated to the obscure one-hit wonders. Not content with just churning out material available from European and American catalogs, Vampisoul journeyed to Lagos, scoured the record crates, dusted off the forgotten mastertapes and started afresh. As the radio DJs used to say back then: "People, highlife is king! Long live highlife!" Includes an informative essay by African music authority John Armstrong.