Ebo Taylor, Ghanaian guitarist and veteran musician
Legendary Ghanaian composer, Ebo Taylor, has stated that the musician he admires most is Miles Dewey Davis III, an American trumpeter.
According to him, Miles Davis spoke like an African and had an appeal, and wanted to be seen as an African musician.
“I admire Miles Davis because he had an appeal as an African and he spoke like one. He also wanted to be seen as an African musician.”
He made the disclosure on the GTV’s Breakfast Show on Friday, October 29, 2021.
The Award-Winning Musician said if he had met Miles Davis, he would have told him ‘you are my brother’. He went on to say, Miles Davis resembles his brother and behaves like him.
The legendary Guitarist also disclosed that during his active years of doing music, he didn’t see anyone as a competitor.
“I always felt I was a maestro in African music,” he noted.
Ebo Taylor became one of Ghana’s major prolific musicians for over six decades. making his signature Ghanaian highlife that influenced a plethora of musicians, including the father of afrobeat, Fela Kuti.
He worked as a producer, crafting recordings for Pat Thomas, C. K. Mann, and others, as well as exploring solo projects, combining traditional Ghanaian material with afrobeat, jazz, and funk rhythms to create his own recognizable sound in the 1970s.
He was a guitar player, arranger, and producer for Essiebons, founded by Dick Essilfie-Bondzie.
Taylor’s music has been sampled by international R&B artist Usher on his 2010 track “She Don’t Know,” featuring rapper Ludacris, and by Canadian hip-hop duo Ghetto Concept on their 1992 track “Certified.”
His influence can also be seen in afrobeat’s clubbier offshoot, afrobeats (with an “s”), which has hit international charts through West African acts like Wizkid, who has collaborated with artists including Drake and Major Lazer.
Below is the full interview;