African Party

Ginger Johnson & His African Messengers AFRICAN PARTY In March 1967 Ginger and his group entered Sound Techniques Studio, in Chelsea, to record the African Party album. The multi-layered drum patterns combined with jazz horn lines and vocals sung in the Yoruba dialect, the recordings were unlike anything else of the time and still sparkle with energy and vitality that remains undiminished almost 60 years later. The album is often cited as the foundation of Afrobeat - and his African Messengers group functioned as the finishing school for highly renowned musicians like Michael "Bami" Rose, as well as members of Osibisa and Cymande. This deluxe version of African Party sheds further light on the trailblazing life and career of this pivotal yet underappreciated figure.