had, so I started to play African music with a little bit of jazz thrown in, not jazz with a little African thrown in." In 1956 his first album, Africa Speaks, America Answers, was recorded for Decca. It confirmed Ghanaba's reputation as a credible musician. It cross-fertilized African and Western rhythms and introduced authentic instrumentation into the music. In 1964, Decca and German musician Bert Kaempfert released an orchestral version of "That Happy Feeling", the most popular song on Africa Speaks, America Answers, under its original title "Eyi Wala Dong (An African's Prayer)" on Kaempfert's 1962 album A Swingin' Safari. A year later, Ghanaba worked on the release of Themes for African Drums (RCA Victor, 1958), on which he wanted to use voices, drums, and trombone, with an African influence. He collaborated on this album with trombonist Lawrence Brown, who said what Ghanaba was doing was uncommon in jazz. Cover versions of "Love, the Mystery of" were recorded by Art Blakey and Randy Weston, who used it as his theme song for 40 years. In December 1959 readers of Drum magazine voted Ghanaba the number one drummer. His album African Rhythms (Decca, 1962), was supposed to be released a year earlier by Columbia but the deal collapsed. He then joined Martin Salkin and Milt Gabler of Decca. Ghanaba is listed in the Encyclopaedia of Jazz as a trailblazer who injected African rhythms and instrumentation into mainstream jazz. On one occasion in the early 1970s, when he performed a concert at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, the crowd walked out. He had given up on live performances and stopped playing drums. He only released two albums in the 1970s: The African Soundz (RCA Victor, 1972) and The Divine Drummer (1978). He asked Nii Anum Telfer to trace a letter from Africa Obonu, later to be known as Ghanababii, a drums and percussion ensemble based at La in Accra that had written to Ghanaba. It was after Ghanababii were contacted that he began to perform again. He played many gigs, including the monthly Free South Africa shows that he and Nii Anum Telfer organized at the Accra Community Centre in solidarity with Nelson Mandela, who was at the time in prison, and the people of South Africa who were fighting against apartheid. By March 1979 he had brought together Zagba Oyortey, Ofei Nkansah, Wendy Addae, Dorothy Gordon (aiti-KACE), Akuoko, Akwasi Adu