Gyedu-Blay Ambolley Propagates Ghanaian Highlife With US Show
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley who is known for starting the ‘Simigwa’ genre of Ghanaian highlife music said in an interview with TheAfricanDream.net in the USA that “this show is for my fans in the USA that have always been very supportive of my work, not just those within the Diaspora but also non Africans as well who appreciate good ‘Simigwa’ and highlife music from Ghana and across Africa.”
The venue of the June 4 show will be ‘The African Palace’ located at North Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg, Maryland. According to Gyedu Blay-Ambolley “this venue is strategically chosen for its name and to draw fans from the states of Virginia, Maryland and the American capital of Washington DC. ‘The African Palace’ is one of the new African live music restaurants which greatly suit my purpose.”
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and his passion for Highlife
The multi-instumentalist continues to emphasize: “I am very passionate about the propagation of highlife music in the world. Ghanaian musicians like Rocky Dawuni, Shatta Wale and Sarkodie among many others have done a great job at selling their versions of the Reggae, Dancehall and Hiphop genres respectively to the world. Now however, we need to do more to sell the authentic Ghanaian traditional highlife music too. It is essential that we promote our culture through music.”
“Our generation has not done enough to promote Highlife music, but let me say kudos to all those artistes in Ghana still doing Highlife and helping to spread it and make it what we all want to see it become. I personally think efforts in that direction need to be beefed up though, and my show in Maryland USA on June 4, 2016 will just be a small beginning towards achieving more goals.”
According to statements Gyedu-Blay Ambolley made to TheAfricanDream.net, his team is collaborating with others who are equally passionate about highlife to produce documentaries, more live shows and educational events in the USA and outside Ghana featuring classic Ghanaian performers of the genre and basically informing the world of Highlife in an effort to make it a globally recognizable genre.
Tickets for Blay-Ambolley’s June 4 show which promises a night of Highlife, Hiplife and Afro Jazz music is being sold online for $18.50 could also be purchased at ‘The African Palace’ for $20.00. The last performance in the USA by Ambolley who turns 70 in 2017 was over half a decade ago. Find out more about him on his website www.ambolley.com
Source: Oral Ofori
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
