King Bruce
Encyclopedia
King Bruce was a composer, band leader, and musician in Ghana
.
traditions.
and Ewe. But his parents did not envision a career in music and sent him for two years to London
to study with an eye to a career in the civil service. There, however, King learned to play the trumpet. When he returned to Accra
in 1951, he fell into the city's fledgling highlife scene and soon found himself playing in Teacher Lamptey's Accra Orchestra.
definitely qualified as African, and swing was an important element in the Black Beats' sound, which featured a strong vocal lineup. In 1961, nine Black Beats members defected to form the Ramblers, and King Bruce had to find new members. Six years later, he was forced to choose between his semi-professional
band and his civil service career. His pocketbook dictated the decision, and he handed off leadership of the band to another member.
, became the home base for as many as seven bands, all of whom benefited from his experience, leadership and instruction. When he died in 1998, he left behind many protégés, and his work will be felt in Ghana for years to come. John Collins (musician/researcher)
and Banning Eyre wrote an article and biography on his life.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Background
Composer, arranger, band leader and multi-instrumentalist made his mark on Ghana's dance band highlife tradition in a variety of ways. He grew up in a musical family. His mother sang in a choir; his two brothers played piano and guitar, and both taught young Bruce. As a boy, he loved the popular street music styles he encountered in Accra, much of it music adapted from his own GaGa people
The Ga-Adangbe are an ethnic group in the West African nation of Ghana. It is part of the Dangme ethnic group. The Ga people are grouped as part of theGa–Dangme ethnolinguistic group. They speak Kwa languages...
traditions.
Early life
In secondary school, King Bruce encountered and learned principles of Western music as well as songs from other Ghanaian ethnic groups, especially TwiTwi
Asante, or Ashanti, is one of three literary dialects of the Akan language of southern Ghana, and the prestige dialect of that language. It is spoken in and around Kumasi, the capital of the former Ashanti Empire and current subnational Asante Kingdom within Ghana.Along with the Akuapem dialect,...
and Ewe. But his parents did not envision a career in music and sent him for two years to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to study with an eye to a career in the civil service. There, however, King learned to play the trumpet. When he returned to Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
in 1951, he fell into the city's fledgling highlife scene and soon found himself playing in Teacher Lamptey's Accra Orchestra.
The Black beats
The next year, King co-founded the group whose name, if not its membership, would remain with him all his life: the Black Beats. The name reflected a heartfelt loyalty to African rhythms and feelings in his then colonial context. However, the swing sounds coming out of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
definitely qualified as African, and swing was an important element in the Black Beats' sound, which featured a strong vocal lineup. In 1961, nine Black Beats members defected to form the Ramblers, and King Bruce had to find new members. Six years later, he was forced to choose between his semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
band and his civil service career. His pocketbook dictated the decision, and he handed off leadership of the band to another member.
Union of Ghanaian musicians
During the 1970s, King got involved in organizing unions of musicians. He would be involved with three during his life, notably the Musician's Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), formed in 1974, and still going today. In 1977, he retired from the civil service and returned to music. But his later years were most noteworthy for the work he did in teaching other musicians. King's house in James Town, AccraJamestown, Ghana
Located directly east of the Korle Lagoon, Jamestown and Usshertown are the oldest districts in the city of Accra, Ghana and emerged as communities around the 17th century British James Fort and Ussher Fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast...
, became the home base for as many as seven bands, all of whom benefited from his experience, leadership and instruction. When he died in 1998, he left behind many protégés, and his work will be felt in Ghana for years to come. John Collins (musician/researcher)
John Collins (musician/researcher)
John Collins came to Ghana in 1952 and has been involved in the West African music scene since 1969.- Biography :John Collins is a guitarist, harmonica player and percussionist and has worked, recorded and played with numerous Ghanaian and Nigerian bands; the Jaguar Jokers, Francis Kenya, E.T...
and Banning Eyre wrote an article and biography on his life.