Life Events

To explore the life journey is to live with curiosity, courage, and compassion.

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1936
1936
1950
1960
1992
2015
2014
2026
2026
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Ebo Taylor

(Deroy Taylor)

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Born on

January 6, 1936

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January 6, 1936
Early Life

Ebo Taylor, born Deroy Taylor, was born in Cape Coast in the then Gold Coast colony on 6 January 1936. He began playing the piano at the age of six.

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1950
Early Music Career

In the late 1950s, Taylor became active in two influential highlife bands, the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band.

In 1962, he travelled to London with his group, the Black Star Highlife Band, where he collaborated with Nigerian afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and other African musicians.

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1960
Return to Ghana and Musical Development

After returning to Ghana in the 1960s, Taylor worked as a producer for leading musicians such as Pat Thomas and C. K. Mann, while also developing his own solo work.

During the 1970s, he created a distinct sound by blending traditional Ghanaian music with afrobeat, jazz, and funk rhythms. He also served as the in-house guitar player, arranger, and producer for Essiebons, founded by Dick Essilfie Bondzie.

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1992
International Influence and Renewed Recognition

In 1992, Ghetto Concept included his afrobeats in their music.

In 2008, Taylor met the Berlin-based musicians of the Afrobeat Academy, including saxophonist Ben Abarbanel-Wolff. This led to the release of Love and Death in 2010 through Strut Records, his first internationally distributed album.

Also in 2010, American singer Usher sampled Taylor’s song “Heaven” on the track “She Don’t Know” featuring Ludacris. Over time, his music was also sampled by artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Rowland, Jidenna, Vic Mensa, and Rapsody.

In 2011, Taylor collaborated again with the Afrobeat Academy in Berlin. The success of Love and Death led Strut Records to release the retrospective album Life Stories: Highlife & Afrobeat Classics 1973–1980 in 2011.

In 2012, Strut released Appia Kwa Bridge, which showed that at the age of 77, Taylor remained highly creative. The album blended traditional Fante songs and chants with children’s rhymes and personal stories.

In 2017, his Ghanaian funk anthem “Come Along” became popular among DJs.

In 2025, at the age of 89, Taylor received renewed attention in the United States through the label Jazz Is Dead, after many years of being an often under-recognised force in West African music.

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2015
Major Performance

In 2015, Taylor performed at the annual Stanbic Jazz Festival alongside Earl Klugh, Ackah Blay, and others.

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2014
Awards and Recognition
  1. 2014 – Life Time Achievement Award, Vodafone Ghana Music Awards
  2. 2019 – Lifetime Achievement Award, Highlife Music Awards
  3. 2019 – Music Legend of the Year, Ghana Business Awards

7. Selected Discography

  1. 1976My Love and Music
  2. 1977Ebo Taylor
  3. 1978Twer Nyame
  4. 1979Me Kra Tsie – Ebo Taylor & Saltpond Barkers Choir
  5. 1980Conflict – Ebo Taylor & Uhuru Yenzu
  6. 1980Calypso "Mahuno" and High Lifes Celebration – Pat Thomas & Ebo Taylor
  7. 1982Hitsville Re-Visited – Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas & Uhuru Yenzu
  8. 2009Abenkwan Puchaa
  9. 2010Love and Death
  10. 2012Life Stories: Best of Ebo Taylor 1973–80
  11. 2012Appia Kwa Bridge
  12. 2018Yen Ara
  13. 2019Palaver
  14. 2025Ebo Taylor JID022


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February 7, 2026
Death

Ebo Taylor died in Saltpond, Ghana, on 7 February 2026. After his death, a delegation from the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), led by its president Bessa Simons, paid a condolence visit to his family in Saltpond.

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Ebo Taylor

(Deroy Taylor)

Died on

February 7, 2026

May you rest in eternal peace. You will never be forgotten.

Assistant