Ginger Johnson and his African Messengers: African Party (Deluxe Edition)

George Folunsho Johnson (1916-1975) was born in Nigeria and earned the nickname Ginger due to his reddish hair and freckles. At 18, Ginger Johnson joined the Nigerian Navy, which took him around the world and exposed him to a variety of musical styles and percussion techniques. After World War II, he settled in London, where he played with notable figures such as Ronnie Scott, drummers Phil Seamen and Tony Crombie, Victor Feldman, Kenny Graham's Afro-Cubists, and the high-society orchestra of Edmundo Ros. The talking drum became his trademark sound—once used in the famous 'bush telegraph' system.

In the '50s, he recorded 78s and 45s for the pioneering Melodisc record label, marking some of the first African music recordings in Britain. Two of these tracks were later included on the CD compilation London Is The Place For Me 4: African Dreams and the Piccadilly High Life (Honest Jon's Records, 2006).

By the mid-'60s, Johnson had become the go-to percussionist. His high profile and popularity led to appearances in iconic mainstream films and TV shows, including the James Bond film Live and Let Die, the cult spy series Man in A Suitcase, Hammer horror films, and a Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II. He also played a key role in helping to establish the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival.

In the late '60s, Johnson and the Messengers shared stages and collaborated with jazz legends like Art Blakey and Max Roach, as well as psychedelic rock acts such as Pink Floyd and Soft Machine. Most famously, in 1969, they performed live with The Rolling Stones on the high-energy, samba-infected "Sympathy for The Devil" in front of an estimated crowd of over 250,000 in London's Hyde Park, just days after the death of Brian Jones.

In 1970, Johnson opened the Iroko County Club, an African-themed venue in Haverstock Hill, North West London. British Afro-funk-rock bands like Cymande and Osibisa performed there, along with Fela Kuti. Even Prince Charles made an appearance at one event. Elvin Jones and Rahsaan Roland Kirk visited the club during their time in the city. Band member Lord Eric Sugumugu recalls the visit of Funkadelic, noting their outfits "stopped the traffic on Haverstock Hill."

In March 1967, African Party was recorded at Sound Techniques Studio in Chelsea. Engineered by John Wood—best known for his work with Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Nick Drake, and many others—the album featured multi-layered drum patterns, American modern jazz horn lines and vocals sung in the Yoruba language. It was unlike any other recording of its time.

That same year, the album was released on Masquerade Records. Thirty-eight years later, in 2015, it was reissued by Freestyle Records. A decade after that, now out of contract, Johnson's son, Dennis "Dee Mac" Johnson—who holds all the publishing rights—partnered with Greg Boraman of Impressive Collective and BBE Music to reissue the recording once again, helping to restore Johnson's legacy.

"Freestyle never seemed to realize what gold they had," the younger Johnson said. "As far as I'm concerned, my father's music is the music history of the world. So, we decided to find somewhere else to put it out."

The deluxe edition is a remastered double vinyl release, presented in a gatefold sleeve, featuring two additional tracks, a new biography, and rare photographs from the Johnson family photo album.

Johnson takes the lead on his talking drum, providing the driving beat—the bass for the band—and kicks off the album with "I Jool Omo," an infectious, percussion-driven highlife tune enriched by jazzy flute and trumpet improvisation.

Johnson's favorite instruments were his elephant feet. The elephant, killed by hunters in South Africa over a century ago, had its feet hollowed out and covered with skin to create drums. He played these unique instruments for many years, and they feature prominently on several tracks.

Next up, "Adura" dives into a percussive Afro-Cuban groove, setting the stage for a party that is only just beginning.

The track "Witchdoctor," with its 'healing rhythms and hypnotic backdrop,' laid the foundation for what would soon become known as Afrobeat.

Gilles Peterson, speaking about the track "Talking Drum" on BBC6 Sounds, remarked, "New York has its disco classics; we (British) have our jazz dance classics."

From the sleeve notes: "All the music that we do is based firmly on African traditions. So is rhythm and blues—but we try to get nearer the source, right down to the grass roots of the jungle—the sun, the heat, the insects, the abundance of life. And we overlay the whole with jazz—saxophone, guitar, brass, flute, and sometimes piano—because jazz is also derived from the old sources of Africa."

In 2018, African music collector Uchenna Ikonne unearthed a battered copy of a rare 45, originally released in the early '70s on the short-lived Afrodesia record label. The record highlights the band's evolution into funk and R&B. Both sides of the single have been restored and are included in the deluxe edition.

The album is often regarded as the foundation of Afrobeat. Johnson served as a mentor to a young Fela during his studies in London in 1958. The late Afrobeat drumming legend Tony Allen once remarked, "Ginger was the pioneer, the trailblazer for all of us."

In July 1975, during a return trip to his native Nigeria, Johnson fell ill and later passed away from a heart attack at the age of just 59.

"You can blatantly hear the swinging 60's; you can hear the Latin, you can hear that Afrobeat high life, you can even hear the carnival." explains Dennis Johnson, "everything my father did is in this album. Dad is definitely the Godfather of Afrobeat."

African Party is a historically significant record —a landmark in British recorded music. Johnson is a profoundly influential figure in Afrobeat and served as a direct inspiration to Fela Kuti. His life story has remained largely untold, and this project goes a long way in addressing that by highlighting his pivotal role in the development of African music in Europe.

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