Mustapha Tettey Addy

Part of a drumming family, Ghana's Mustapha Tettey Addy eventually became its most famous member. He was initiated into ritual drumming and dancing by his father, a fetish priest. Addy became "dadefoiakye," the head of the ritual dummers, after his father's death. He was a full-time member of the Ghana Dance Ensemble during the '60s, and also loosely associated with the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana. Widespread travels throughout West Africa in the early '70s alerted Addy to other styles and techniques, which he utilized when he formed his group Ehimono in '74. Addy toured Europe several times in the '70s, then returned there in the '80s, this time mainly as a teacher. A master of complex, intricate and intense rhythms, Addy's superb '70s and '80s recordings Master Drummer Vol. 1 and Master Drummer Vol. 2 are essential, while his 1990 release, Come and Drum, with his son Abdul Rahman Kpany Addy and two German musicians, aims at simplifying and breaking down tricky rhythms without destroying the music's essence.