LIVE SOUND REINFORCEMENT IN GHANAIAN POPULAR MUSIC SCENE (1940s– 1950s)

Live sound reinforcement has always been associated with popular music performances. However, the type of live sound reinforcement strategies and techniques employed at any given time depends on the technology available to practitioners. The 1940s– 1950s represents the emergence and development of highlife bigbands and a social change in the then Gold Coast, where people were becoming economically sound to enjoy evening outings. This phenomenon, however, presented live entertainers with a new challenge of reaching more audiences with their performances. This paper looks at the live sound reinforcement strategies employed by Ghanaian highlife big-bands of the 1940s–1950s and how the available technology enhanced their performances. Using documentary search and interviews for data collection, we draw attention to the ‘Vortexion Amplifier’ and its influences on the live sound reinforcement practices and live performance in Ghana. Subsequently, we conclude that the live sound strategies in an era mirror the performance practices and their direct influences on the performers.

KEYWORDS: Highlife big-bands, performance practices, sound reinforcement, technology, vortexion amplifier