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Obo Addy

Jan. 15, 1936 - Sept. 13, 2012

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Obo Addy taught at-risk youth through his nonprofit organization, Homowo African Arts and Culture, at University Park Community Center, Portland, Oregon, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy with the Joe Kelly Band in Ghana. They had their picture taken with an American visitor at the Accra  Club, ca. 1956, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy, 1980, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy instructing a student on the *donno* or talking drum, 1980, Portland Oregon, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy, 1982, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy played a variety of drums, some strictly percussive and others, such as the one pictured here, capable of 'talking' or tonal variations. His drumming captured both the rhythmic and spiritual qualities of his homeland, Ghana. 1994, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy playing outdoors at a public market. This was one of his first performances in Portland, Oregon, 1981, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy at the University Park Community Center teaching the basics of hand drumming to at-risk youth, Portland, Oregon, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy with musicians from Portland, Oregon, who also learned traditional music using the instruments: *giri*, *tamale*, *wia*  and shakers, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy peforming with Doris Tetley and Adama in the Northwest, 1987, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy playing the *gome* drum in a school assembly program, Portland, Oregon, 1986, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy performs in a Portland school with students who have designed their own *adinkra* cloth and are showing the dance steps they have learned, Portland, Oregon, 1988, courtesy Susan Addy
The marquee outside the Porforming Arts Center, Portland, Oregon, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy performing with Kukrudu, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy, 1994, courtesy Susan Addy
Studio portrait of Okropong, Obo Addy's traditional music and dance group, 1994, courtesy Susan Addy
Studio portrait of Okropong, Obo Addy's traditional music and dance group, 1988, courtesy Susan Addy
Studio portrait of Okropong and Kukrudu, Obo Addy's music and dance groups, preparing for a national tour, 1997, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy (in purple) performing with Oko Thompson, Eric Gertner, Oloquaye Commodore and Fofo Tetteh, 1996 National Heritage Ceremonies, Courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Obo Addy (in purple) performing with Oko Thompson, Eric Gertner, Oloquaye Commodore and Fofo Tetteh, 1996 National Heritage Ceremonies, courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Obo Addy, 1996 National Heritage Ceremonies, courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Obo Addy (in purple) performing with Oko Thompson, Eric Gertner, Oloquaye Commodore and Fofo Tetteh, 1996 National Heritage Ceremonies, courtesy National Endowment for the Arts
Obo Addy pouring libation at the Homowo Festival, 1997, Portland, Oregon, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy singing at the Homowo Festival, 1998, Portland, Oregon, courtesy Susan Addy
Obo Addy at the Homowo Festival, 1998, Portland, Oregon, courtesy Susan Addy
Studio portrait of Okropong, Obo Addy's traditional music and dance group, 1999, courtesy Susan Addy

Obo Addy was the son of a priest and medicine man of the Ga people of southern Ghana. He learned drumming at a very early age. He and his brothers drummed while his mother and sisters sang as his father performed rituals. "I was constantly surrounded by the drumming, dancing and singing that accompanied his work," Addy said. "From the time I could walk, I helped him in any way I was needed when he was performing the various spiritual ceremonies and rites.... So I learned about rhythm, drumming and singing by observing my father and listening to the music. He would teach me, and I would play on my own and in town at social gatherings with other musicians.... From the time I was a young boy, I knew I wanted to be a musician, and I was fortunate to be able to learn the art from my family."

When Addy was 6, he was designated a master drummer, meaning that he knew all the parts and could improvise and lead an ensemble. As a teenager, Addy took up other forms of music as well, and at 18, he joined the group Joe Kelly's Band in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Five years later, he became part of a musical group called the Builder's Brigade Band, organized by President Kwame Nkrumah to help employ people as builders. With this band, Addy traveled all over Ghana. In 1961, he was asked to participate in another government initiative with a musical group called the Farmers Council of Ghana, which was designed to educate farmers through drama, music and cinema.

International popular music flourished in Accra, and in addition to his work for government agencies, he earned extra money playing in pop groups. But as Ghanaians asserted themselves politically and culturally, he became increasingly drawn to Highlife, a music that involved playing African rhythms on European instruments.

In 1969, Addy was employed by the Arts Council of Ghana to learn and perform the music of the nation's various cultures. In 1972, he and his brothers performed at the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, and embarked on a tour of Europe, Australia and the United States. He immigrated to the United States in 1978 and made Portland, Oregon his home the following year. Addy's background as both a traditionalist and an innovator was always present in his work. He maintained two musical groups: Okropong, dedicated to playing the traditional tribal music of his homeland, and Kukrudu, which played in an original idiom much in the spirit of Highlife. Both groups have toured nationally. He established the nonprofit foundation Homowo as a way to share his heritage with as wide an audience as possible. He founded Portland's Homowo (harvest) Festival of African music and culture, which draws thousands each year.

Addy was also known as a skilled teacher and conducted many residencies and workshops. His programs typically featured both music embedded in the social life of his own and other Ghanaian peoples and original compositions performed in a contemporary style. He performed around the United States and abroad. Addy's first traditional compilation, Born in the Tradition, was released in 1986, and many recordings followed.

Discography
Addy, Obo. Born in the Tradition. EarthBeat! 2602.
______. Ikropong. Earthbeat! 42508-2.
______. The Rhythm of Which a Chief Walks Gracefully. Earthbeat! 42561-2.
______. Safarini in Transit: Music of African Immigrants. Smithsonian Folkways 40457.
Addy, Obo, and Kronos Quartet. Pieces of Africa. Elektra/Nonesuch 79275-2.
Addy, Obo, and Kukrude. Obo. Avocet 102.
______. Let Me Play My Drums. Burnside BCA-0010-2.
Addy, Obo, and Oboade. Kpanlogo Party. Lyrichord 7251.
Addy, Obo, and Randy Weston. Volcano Blues. Verve/Polygram.

Watch

Obo Addy, 1996 National Heritage Fellowship Concert, Washington, D.C., courtesy National Endowment for the Arts

Listen

Obo Addy, audio biography, produced and recorded by Alan Govenar, edited by Andrew Dean, narrated by Bob Ray Sanders

Obo Addy, 'Kpatsa/Toke,' Okropong, 1993, EarthBeat! Records 9 42508-2

Obo Addy, 'Oge,' Okropong, 1993, EarthBeat! Records 9 42508-2

Obo Addy, 'Sunshine (Hulu),' Okropong, 1993, EarthBeat! Records 9 42508-2