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Biography

At the time when Africa’s dream of autonomy slowly was becoming reality and the first President of Ghana joined the youth to build a modern nation, Ekow Alabi was born in Ghana in the city Cape Coast, once the capital of the "Gold Coast".

He began playing drums at the tender age of five years. After studying all types of African drums and percussion in Accra, he easily started playing the local Highlife, Calypso, Jazz, Soul, Gospel and R&B.

At the age of 14 he founded a school band called "ANABO", working with their favourite rhythms like reggae, highlife and calypso. He soon became "the small boy drummer", playing with famous bands like "SWEET BEANS BAND" in Ghana. Later he played with internationally known African bands and musicians like Manu Dibango and Fela Kuti.

In the late 70´s he moved to Germany, playing with internationally known artists like George Darko and Pat Thomas. There he rejoined his old schoolboy friends to form the first Afro-Reggae band in Berlin and Germany, "Roots Anabo". The band created its own rhythmical style called SUNLIFE MUSIC and toured most of the famous music festivals during the European summers.

In 1984 his band performed at the Reggae Sunsplash Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where they met Glen Browne, a Jazz bass player, and Ibo Cooper from “THIRLD WOLRD” who joined the band to record songs for their album "Civilization" in the Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston.

In the late 80´s when the group was taking a break, Ekow Alabi joined Berlin´s first multicultural and multilingual hip hop band "REALITY BROTHERS". There he met producer Tom "Serious" Lee. Together they recorded Ekow’s first solo album "Return to Zion" as well as two videos.

During his musical career he performed with international musicians like Ziggy Marley, Kojo Antwi, Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti, Cedric Him Brooks, Eeka Mouse Black Heritage, Africa Mma and Vitamin X and, in the past five years, with Jimi Tenor.

With Vitamin X he recorded five albums from 1990 to 2000. Together with the international Finnish Jazz musician Jimi Tenor and the band “Kabu Kabu” they fused Afrobeat with Jimi´s Jazz vision and performed this fusion at many concerts. Alabi also tours in Europe as well as in Africa with Brothers Keepers and Bantu.

He is continuously expanding his extraordinary talents in other areas like teaching and giving percussion workshops.

But the real deal is the new album "Going for Gold" featuring Mariamu Morris, Djatou Toure, Beezy, Aly Keita, Crimeldo and many more and produced by Tom Lee Pettersen. And the new tour to present his songs from the last album and the new performance to his fans in Germany and Europe!