Pat Thomas

Pat Thomas is one of the great voices of Ghanaian highlife, a singer and composer crowned the Golden Voice of Africa whose career has spanned more than half a century and helped carry highlife to the world.

Early life

He was born Nana Kwabena Amo Mensah in Agona in the Ashanti Region, into a deeply musical family. His father taught music theory, his mother was a bandleader, and his uncle was the celebrated guitarist King Onyina, who had shared stages with the likes of Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. Under Onyina, Thomas learned guitar, drums and the craft of running a band.

Career

His career began in the mid-1960s, and in the early 1970s he came to Accra to join Ebo Taylor's Blue Monks, beginning a long association with the highlife master. He recorded prolifically through the 1970s with bands like Marijata and the Sweet Beans, developing the rich, soulful voice that became his signature.

The Golden Voice

He was crowned Mr Golden Voice of Africa in 1978, a title that stuck, and won Album of the Year in 1991 for Sika Ye Mogya. His music enjoyed international rediscovery in later years, notably through his work with the Kwashibu Area Band, which introduced his classic highlife to new global audiences.

Standing

Tireless and enduring, Pat Thomas remains one of the most beloved highlife vocalists Ghana has produced, a living link to the golden age of the genre and an ambassador for it around the world.

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