John Collins

I  came to Ghana in 1952 and  has been involved in the West African music scene since 1969. I am a a guitarist,, harmonica player and percussionist and have worked, recorded and played  with numerous Ghanaian and Nigerian bands; the Jaguar Jokers, Francis Kenya, E.T. Mensah, Abladei, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Koo Nimo, Kwaa Mensah, Victor Uwaifo,  Bob Pinado, the Bunzus, the Black Berets, T.O.Jazz, S.K. Oppong and Atongo Zimba. In the 1970’s  ran my Bokoor highlife guitar band which released 20 songs and From e 1982 until the mid 90′s I was  running Bokoor Recording Studio  8 miles north of Accra: which  released 9 records and 60 commercial cassettes and released  3 highlife cd’s: ‘Electric Highlife’ (Naxos label Hong Kong/USA), ‘Vintage Palmwine’ (Otrabanda, Holland), the ‘Guitar and Gun”  (Sterns/Earthworks UK). I am currently  teaching at the Music Dept of the University of Ghana , am  a patron of the  Ghana Musicians Union,  Chair of the BAPMAF music archives and I co-run the Accra based Local Dimension highlife band with Aaron Bebe Sukura

Further updates on my  recent trips to South Africa and Mali will be forthcoming