Osibisa

Genres:	Folk • Pop / Rock • World Music
Descriptive "tags":	funk • afrobeat • jazz • 70s • african • world • fusion • ghana
Decades Active:	1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	Official Homepage • Wikipedia

Biography

Formed in London, England in 1969 by three Ghanaian and three Caribbean musicians, Osibisa played a central role in developing an awareness of African music - in their case, specifically, West African highlife tinged with rock - among European and North American audiences in the 70s. Since then, Osibisa have suffered the fate of many once-celebrated 70s African-orientated performers. Their pioneering blend of rock and African rhythms has either been overlooked or downgraded for its lack of roots appeal. There is, in truth, some justification for this: Osibisa’s style was too closely hitched to western rock, and too much of a fusion to survive the scrutiny of western audiences who, from the early 80s onwards, were looking for ‘authentic’ African music. However, the group’s towering achievements in the 70s should not be denigrated.

The Ghanaian founder members of Osibisa - Teddy Osei (saxophone), Sol Amarfio (drums) and Mac...

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