Gyedu-Blay Ambolley

The Legendary Gyedu Blay Ambolley from Ghana, West Africa and his Sekondi Band has 29 music albums to his credit. The most recent album “The African Soul” was released in 2015 and still remains a hit for Highlife/Afro/Jazz dance music fans around the world. The multi-talented, International, Ghanaian Musician celebrated his "Silver Jubilee" in music in 1998.  

Ambolley was born in the city of Sekondi-Takoradi, in the Western Region of Ghana, in West Africa. He taught himself to play the flute in his early years of musical interest dating back to the age of eight, when he began playing with his father's flute. His formal musical training came at the age of fourteen under the apprenticeship of "Uncle Bonku" who taught him to play the guitar. The young music enthusiast continued to learn the rudiments of music from the late Sammy Lartey and Ebo Taylor. This versatile, irrepressible singer, songwriter, producer and "musical-life-force" exploded on the music scene in 1973 with a jazzy highlife sound called 'SIMIGWA-DO'. 

During the sixties, the young aspiring musician was impressed with the music he heard on the popular radio show, "Voice of America Jazz Hour." That sixties show featured such jazz giants as Jimmy Smith, Max Roach, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Eckstine.. all of whom became part of Ambolley's early musical experience.