Osibisa is a British Afro-pop band, founded by Teddy Osei in London in 1969 by four expatriate African (Ghana) and three Caribbean musicians. Osibisa were one of the first African bands to become widely popular, leading to claims of founding World Music.
I discovered Osibisa when I was a teen, and this band is the origin of my unconditional love for African musics.
In Ghana in the 1950s, Teddy Osei (saxophone), Soloman “Sol” Amarfio (drums), Mamon Shareef, and Farhan Freere (flute) played in a highlife band called The Star Gazers. They left to form the Comets, with Osei’s brother Mac Tontoh on trumpet, and scored a hit in West Africa with their 1958 song “(I Feel) Pata Pata”. In 1962, Osei moved to London to study music on a scholarship from the Ghanaian government. In 1964, he formed Cat’s Paw, an early “world music” band that combined highlife, rock, and soul. In 1969, Osei persuaded Amarfio and Tontoh to join him in London, and Osibisa was born.
In Ghana in the 1950s, Teddy Osei (saxophone), Soloman “Sol” Amarfio (drums), Mamon Shareef, and Farhan Freere (flute) played in a highlife band called The Star Gazers. They left to form the Comets, with Osei’s brother Mac Tontoh on trumpet, and scored a hit in West Africa with their 1958 song “(I Feel) Pata Pata”. In 1962, Osei moved to London to study music on a scholarship from the Ghanaian government. In 1964, he formed Cat’s Paw, an early “world music” band that combined highlife, rock, and soul. In 1969, Osei persuaded Amarfio and Tontoh to join him in London, and Osibisa was born.
Wikipedia
Tracklist “Osibisa”
Osibisa is the self-titled debut album by British afro rock band Osibisa, released in 1971.
- The Dawn (Osei, Amarfio) 7:24
- Music for Gong Gong (Osei, Tontoh) 5:27
- Ayiko Bia (Osei) 7:52
- Akwaaba (Osei, Tontoh) 4:19
- Oranges (Osei) 4:43
- Phallus C (Bedeau) 7:15
- Think About the People (Osibisa) 4:36