By Ebenezer De-Gaulle
Ebo Taylor, the guitarist, composer and bandleader whose fusion of traditional Ghanaian rhythms with jazz, funk and soul helped shape modern highlife and Afrobeat, died on Saturday in Saltpond. He was 90.
The Musicians Union of Ghana confirmed his death at Saltpond Hospital. “Ghana and indeed the world has lost a great son,” Bessa Simons, the union’s president, said in a statement.
Mr. Taylor’s passing came just a day after the launch of the Ebo Taylor Festival, created to honor his musical legacy, and a month after his 90th birthday.
Born Deroy Taylor on Jan. 6, 1936, in Cape Coast, he rose to prominence in the late 1950s with the Stargazers and the Broadway Dance Band. In 1962 he took his Black Star Highlife Band to London, where he collaborated with Fela Kuti and other African musicians before returning home to produce recordings for Ghanaian stars including Pat Thomas and C.K. Mann.
Over six decades, Mr Taylor became one of Ghana’s most influential musical figures, blending highlife with Afrobeat and jazz to create a distinctive sound that resonated far beyond West Africa. His work was sampled by international artists like Usher, who drew on Taylor’s “Heaven” for his track “She Don’t Know”, and he released acclaimed albums late in life, including Love and Death (2008), Appia Kwa Bridge (2012) and Yen Ara (2018).
Even into his late 80s, Mr. Taylor continued to perform and record. His final project, Ebo Taylor JID022, appeared in 2025 as part of the Jazz Is Dead series.
MUSIGA described him as “Saltpond’s light … Ghana’s legend … the world’s icon.” He formed and led more than a dozen ensembles, the last being the Ebo Taylor and Family Band.
Mr. Taylor is survived by his family. His death is being mourned across Ghana and the global music community, where he is remembered as a pioneer who elevated West African music onto the world stage.