From Students’ Pop Band to a Trans-African International Band: A Historical Case Study of Ghana Bigshots Band

The purpose of this study was to construct a concise historical narrative of the formation, development, survival and internationalisation of the Ghana Bigshots Band. It is quite unusual for a pop band to emerge from a Ghanaian university and still survive after school, considering both the academic and industry challenges. The Ghana Bigshots Band, arguably Ghana’s first modern ‘Afro-fusion’ band emerged from a university and came to international prominence. The band has broken the myth of the ‘ivory tower’, where the academia disassociates itself from the realities of the society. Employing interview and documentary research for data collection, the paper consequently unravels that the transition from students’ pop band to a trans-African international band was capital intensive. However, the consistency of maintaining an African identity in the band’s compositions and the ideology of blending tradition and modernity accounted for its survival and internationalisation. This study, is, therefore, recommended as a roadmap for student-musicians who wish to take their craft beyond the academic enclave.