Amamkele Lithemba Qamata

Reviving Highlife: Gyedu-Blay Ambolley’s ‘Simigwa’ official reissue

Strut Records is proud to announce a brand-new official reissue of Gyedu-Blay Ambolley’s 1975 highlife classic album, Simigwa. This is the first in a series of releases on Strut celebrating the legendary Ghanaian label Essiebons. Essiebons, founded by Ghanaian music producer Dick Essilfie-Bondzie in 1959, is one of Ghana’s most important independent labels featuring prominent artists such as Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, C.K. Mann, and Ebo Taylor. Co-written and produced with Ebo Taylor, ‘Simigwa’ is a groundbreaking album, recognised as a Ghanaian classic and boasting one of the most iconic covers of the 1970s. Originally released in 1975, the album introduced Ambolley’s unique “Simigwa” style, which combined highlife with funk and soul, influencing the evolution of a new generation of Ghanaian artists.