Known throughout West Africa as "The King of Highlife," E.T. Mensah was the founding father of the style, enjoying a career that stretched back to the mid '30s. After an apprenticeship with the Accra Rhythmic Orchestra, Mensah joined the Tempos Band in 1947, succeeding Guy Warren as its leader a year later. The Tempos inaugurated a new era in Ghanaian highlife, downplaying the role of jazz-based soloing, and expanding the traditional drum and percussion section. The group established themselves with a string of hit singles, including "Sunday Mirror," "School Girl," and "Cherry Red." In the late '60s, big band highlife began to be perceived as outmoded, and Mensah spent much of the '70s and early '80s as a pharmacist.