Name: Witchdoctor
Brand: Ginger Johnson and his African Messengers

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

FSR7091

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Discs

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2019-04-13

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Kudos

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

5050580706552

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1 / 7" / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Ginger Johnson and his African Messengers

Genre GB

African

Label GB

Freestyle

Record Store Day 2019

This is a Record Store Day 2019 item. It will be available to purchase from our stores from 8am 13th April. Remaining stock will be available to purchase from this page at 00.01 20th April.

In 2015, Freestyle Records re-issued the groundbreaking African Party album by the somewhat mysterious figure of Ginger (George Folunsho) Johnson. Recorded in 1967, nearly 20 years after he first arrived in post war London and immediately began performing and recording with London jazz stalwarts Ronnie Scott and Pete King. Credited by those in the know (including Giles Peterson, Louie Vega, Fela Kuti's drummer Tony Allen and writer David Toop) as the godfather of afrobeat, Ginger and his group, The African Messengers enjoyed a varied career as the go to afro-cuban percussion group for recording sessions in the UK, working with Georgie Fame, Osibisa, Madeleine Bell and Quincy Jones - as well as acting us mentor to a young Fela Kuti and members of Cymande who cut their teeth as members of his ensemble. They also performed at The Royal Variety Performance, Ginger's music featured in the James Bond film Live and Let Die and Ginger himself appears on screen drumming in the Hammer Films cult classic She, and famously performed with The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park in 1969.

Aside from African Party, and several Hi Life singles released on the Melodisc label in the 50's, it was thought that there were no further recordings by this hugely influential musician . Eventually, prompted by the attention afforded the Freestyle re-issues - Ginger's son Dennis Dee Mac Johnson was contacted by Uchenna Ikonne, a renowned African music collector, who told him he had discovered one rather battered original copy of a 45 single, released in the mid 70's on the short lived 'Afrodesia' label, For Record Store Day 2019, Freestyle are proud to release the 2 tracks on a fresh vinyl 45. Witchdoctor is not the track of the same name on African Party, but it and Nawa (written by Dizzy Gillespie cohort Chano Pozo) demonstrate a musical progression as funk had stamped it's indelible footprint on Ginger's music along with afro-cuban rhythms and jazz. Thanks to Claudio Passavanti at Doctor Mix Studios in London, who has done quite an amazing restoration and re-mastering job on this long lost music.

Witchdoctor

Music GB