The music world is mourning Ghanaian musician Ebo Taylor. The guitarist, composer and bandleader died at the age of 90. Ebo Taylor shaped modern West African popular music for six decades and is often regarded as one of the founding fathers of contemporary Highlife.

Highlife is a musical style that blends traditional African rhythms with jazz and Caribbean influences. Taylor was known for his intricate guitar lines and rich horn arrangements. Later in his career, he focused primarily on studio work for other musicians and on teaching at the University of Ghana.

Taylor’s influence extended far beyond Ghana. In the 2010s, samples and references to his work appeared in tracks by artists such as Usher and Black Eyed Peas, contributing significantly to his global rediscovery.

After suffering a stroke in 2018, Taylor continued to direct his music primarily through his voice and conceptual guidance rather than playing guitar, while his son Henry acted as a key link in the studio.
In Ghana and within the diaspora, Taylor was regarded as a bridge between traditional and modern sound worlds, whose body of work profoundly influenced the development of popular African music.