(b Accra, 31 May 1919; d 19 July 1996). Ghanaian trumpet and saxophone player and bandleader. After learning to play the organ and the saxophone while at secondary school, he formed the Accra Rhythmic Orchestra in the 1930s. He played in several bands during the 1940s before joining the Tempos in Accra in 1947; in addition to highlife, the band's repertory included calypsos, boleros and cha cha chas. Mensah became known as The King of Highlife and performed with Louis Armstrong during the latter's visit to Ghana in 1956. With the decline of big band highlife, Mensah earned his living as a government pharmacist for some time, but during the 1970s he took part in a revival of big band highlife during which he made several important recordings. He made further comebacks during the 1980s, one of which coincided with the reissue on the RetroAfric label of several recordings from 1956.
and other resources
W. Bender: West African Highlife, Sweet Mother: Modern African Music (Chicago, 1991), 74117
All For You, perf. E.T. Mensah and the Tempos, RetroAfric RETRO1XCD (1993)
Day by Day, perf. E.T. Mensah, RetroAfric RETRO3CD (1993)
GREGORY F. BARZ