E. T. Mensah - Revision history

Edb: Add a sourced, licensed illustration with creator credit and license link

2026-10-23T22:08:42Z

Add a sourced, licensed illustration with creator credit and license link

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:08, 23 October 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
			<!-- MuGlobe licensed article image -->
			[[File:MuGlobe-55c1f73d114a4ea4.jpg\|thumb\|right\|320px\|alt=The Tempos' bandleader E.T. Mensah with fellow highlife musician Victor Olaiya.\|[[The Tempos]]' bandleader E.T. Mensah with fellow highlife musician Victor Olaiya.<br />Image: Photographer not named by source; published by Music In Africa; Music In Africa; accompanying album review by Ed Keazor. [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ CC BY-NC 4.0]. [https://musicinafrica.net/magazine/kings-highlife-etmensah-and-victor-olaiya/ Source].]]

	== Summary ==		== Summary ==
	E. T. Mensah (1919–1996), born Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah, was a Ghanaian instrumentalist, composer and bandleader associated with the dance-band development of [[Highlife\|highlife]]. His career with [[The Tempos\|the Tempos]] helped carry that music across national borders.<ref name="et-archive">[https://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=2278 Ghana’s Highlife Music Collection: E.T. Mensah; Gramophone Records Museum, biography by] [[John Collins]]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>		E. T. Mensah (1919–1996), born Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah, was a Ghanaian instrumentalist, composer and bandleader associated with the dance-band development of [[Highlife\|highlife]]. His career with [[The Tempos\|the Tempos]] helped carry that music across national borders.<ref name="et-archive">[https://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=2278 Ghana’s Highlife Music Collection: E.T. Mensah; Gramophone Records Museum, biography by] [[John Collins]]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>

Edb: Artist encyclopedia batch009: preserve source wording and URLs while linking citation artist names; clarify two existing citations

2026-10-23T19:54:40Z

Artist encyclopedia batch009: preserve source wording and URLs while linking citation artist names; clarify two existing citations

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:54, 23 October 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	== Summary ==		== Summary ==
	E. T. Mensah (1919–1996), born Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah, was a Ghanaian instrumentalist, composer and bandleader associated with the dance-band development of [[Highlife\|highlife]]. His career with [[The Tempos\|the Tempos]] helped carry that music across national borders.<ref name="et-archive">[https://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=2278 Ghana’s Highlife Music Collection: E.T. Mensah; Gramophone Records Museum, biography by John Collins]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>		E. T. Mensah (1919–1996), born Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah, was a Ghanaian instrumentalist, composer and bandleader associated with the dance-band development of [[Highlife\|highlife]]. His career with [[The Tempos\|the Tempos]] helped carry that music across national borders.<ref name="et-archive">[https://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=2278 Ghana’s Highlife Music Collection: E.T. Mensah; Gramophone Records Museum, biography by] [[John Collins]]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>

	== Life and career ==		== Life and career ==

Edb: Artist encyclopedia batch005: sourced musician/group profiles and incoming artist links, requested by Ed

2026-10-23T19:37:27Z

Artist encyclopedia batch005: sourced musician/group profiles and incoming artist links, requested by Ed

New page

== Summary ==
E. T. Mensah (1919–1996), born Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah, was a Ghanaian instrumentalist, composer and bandleader associated with the dance-band development of [[Highlife|highlife]]. His career with [[The Tempos|the Tempos]] helped carry that music across national borders.<ref name="et-archive">[https://www.fondation-langlois.org/html/e/page.php?NumPage=2278 Ghana’s Highlife Music Collection: E.T. Mensah; Gramophone Records Museum, biography by John Collins]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>

== Life and career ==
He learned flute and piccolo at school in Accra and joined the Accra Orchestra in 1932. Alto saxophone work in several orchestras preceded his return to Accra and [[The Tempos|the Tempos]] in 1947. Decca recording began in 1952; 'Ghana Freedom Highlife' marked independence in 1957. A 1969 British tour included recording in London.<ref name="et-archive" />

== Music and style ==
Mensah's ensemble brought local dance forms into conversation with swing-band organization, [[Jazz|jazz]], Latin music and [[Calypso|calypso]]. The RetroAfric anthology notes identify [[Fela Kuti]] among the younger musicians affected by his example. That influence concerned touring bands and arrangements as well as individual songs.<ref name="et-retro">[https://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/mensah-the-tempos-e-t-king-of-highlife-anthology-4cd/RETRO.024CD.html RetroAfric / Forced Exposure: King of Highlife Anthology, release notes]. Accessed 23 October 2026.</ref>

== Works and performances ==
''The King of Highlife – African Rhythms'' documents the London sessions. The later ''King of Highlife Anthology'' gathers recordings from a much larger career, including material originally issued on 78 rpm discs. Together they offer ways to follow the changing recorded sound of a dance orchestra over time.<ref name="et-archive" /><ref name="et-retro" />

<references />