Teddy Osei toured the world with Osibisa
Published 1:30 PM ET, Saturday January 18, 2025
Ghanaian musician and saxophonist Teddy Osei, one of the founding members of Afro-rock band Osibisa, has died.
Teddy Osei, born December 1937, is best known as the leader of the Afro-rock band Osibisa, founded in 1969.
Born in Kumasi, Osei was introduced to musical instruments while still a child. He began to play the saxophone while attempting to create a band with his college friends in the coastal city of Sekondi. After graduating from college, he worked as a building inspector for a year before creating a band called “The Comets.”
Osei travelled to London in 1962, leaving the Comets behind. Having spent his money on travel, he lived with some friends in London and worked as a dishwasher for a year. He then applied for and received a grant from the Ghanaian government, which allowed him to attend a private music and drama school for three years.
However, his grant was terminated after Nkrumah was deposed in 1966. Osei teamed up with several other students who had also lost their grants and began to play soul music at various venues across Europe.
While in Switzerland, the group renamed themselves Cat’s Paw. At this stage, its members included Sol Amarfio and Osei’s brother Mac Tontoh, both future members of Osibisa, and the group eventually returned to the UK, looking for a more permanent financial situation.
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