Renowned ethnomusicologist, Professor John Collins, has shed more light on the origins of the highlife music genre, revealing when the name first appeared in writing.
Speaking on the panel of Joy FM’s eighth Showbiz Roundtable hosted by Kwame Dadzie on March 14, 2026 he said although earlier music forms, such as adaha and osibisaba laid the foundation for highlife, the name itself was first written in 1925.
“The word ‘highlife’ was invented in September 1925. It was in a brochure by the Cape Coast Literary Association for a band in Ghana called the Ragged Jazz Band,” he said.
While the term was used in 1925, Professor Collins noted that the Kumasi Trio were the first to record highlife songs, beginning in June 1928.
According to him, this helps address arguments by other countries that claim the genre originated in their territories.
The eighth edition of Showbiz Roundtable examined the theme ‘Preserving highlife as Ghana’s music heritage.’
The programme aired live on Joy 99.7 FM, JoyPrime and JoyNews as part of the stations’ Ghana Month activities.
The panel featured Professor John Collins, ethnomusicologist; Amandzeba, highlife musician; Kofi Boachie-Ansah, also known as Beatmenace, audio engineer; Adina, highlife musician; and Jonas Bibi Hammond, a veteran music producer.
The keynote address was delivered by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Maame Efua Houadjeto. In her address, she spoke about the importance of Ghana making greater gains from the highlife genre while passing it on to future generations.
A special guest for the programme was UNESCO’s National Professional Officer for Culture, Carl Ampah, who offered insight into what it means for highlife to be listed by UNESCO as Ghana’s intangible cultural heritage.
The show had a live studio audience made up of musicians, journalists, music producers, music executives and other creative industry stakeholders.
