Legendary Ghanaian vocalist and songwriter Nana Kwabena Amo Mensah, popularly known as Pat Thomas has emphatically stated that Highlife as a genre can never phase out.
Pat Thomas said that there was no way Highlife is ever going to die.
He went on to explain that the genre is rather being integrated into other subgenres.
He said:
“Even the young guys are also doing Highlife, but they are just trying to differentiate it in a different way in order to sell themselves. Like Afro-pop, Afro this and Afro that. It’s all Highlife”.
Pat Thomas
The highlife crooner spoke on the difference in the making of music in this generation. He said that this younger generation adds their own unique touches when it comes to making songs.
He said:
“Our time is different. This is their time and they say whatever they think is okay for them.
“There are generations, so every generation has its way. You can’t complain. They are doing what they feel is good for them and nobody can stop them. Nobody is supposed to stop them anyways because it’s what they like to do and they are doing it”.
Pat Thomas
Pat Thomas narrates how his mother reported him to the police
Ghanaian highlife legend, Pat Thomas, disclosed how his music career started and how his mother reported him to the police for leaving his education to pursue a career in music.
He said he decided to leave school in Techiman to pursue his dream of becoming a musician.
He said:
“My mother was a musician… but she didn’t want me to do music. She thought it was a waste of time…She reported me to the police, and they came to arrest me—forgetting that she was also a musician”.
Pat Thomas
The legend recounted an experience that nearly led him to the verge of insanity due to marijuana consumption.
He said he went on a journey with a friend and his manager to Nigeria and their purpose for going there was to meet the iconic Fela Kuti at one of his famous clubs.
He narrated:
“I remember I went to Fela’s house in Nigeria, myself and a friend who was managing me, his name is Sunny, a very good friend of Fela. And it happened that he took me to Nigeria. We went to Fela’s club, and the next day he took me to the house, and it is this weed that I am talking about, you know Fela had something they call Fela Goro.
“So, as Fela saw me, he took one, and then he gave me one (weed). My manager told me, ‘Charley try some’. Charley, me this thing, I fear, but I wanted to show guy guy to Fela that me too, adey smoke. So, the moment I smoked, what happened to me, I wished you were there, I was feeling dizzy badly, but he was just smoking, and I nearly went mad”.
Pat Thomas
The musician has launched an evening of outstanding musical performances dubbed the ‘Pat Thomas Highlife Night’ to celebrate his 50 years in music.
The event, which is dedicated to celebrating the legendary Pat Thomas and Ghanaian highlife music, is slated for August 4, 2023, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
The ‘Pat Thomas Highlife Night’ aims to honor his remarkable achievements and recognize the numerous highlife legends that the country has produced, both past and present.
The event promises to be a captivating evening of music, nostalgia, and appreciation for this unique and cherished musical style.
The concert will feature classical performances by some of Ghana’s best highlife performers including Kuami Eugene, KK Fosu, and Kwabena Kwabena, among others.
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