South Africans were singing "Happy Birthday" to Nelson Mandela earlier today.

Ghanaians, on the other hand, are in the midst of a year long celebration. 2007 is Ghana's 50th year of independence from British colonial rule. And a new CD is out that celebrates Ghana's MUSICAL contributions to world music in the 1970's and 80's.

The compilation is called "Bokoor Beats," after a group called the Bokoor Band. They was popular in Ghana back in the 1970s.

After the band broke up, co-founder John Collins decided he wanted to offer other artists in Ghana a chance to record their songs. So, Collins converted his father's farmhouse into a studio. He called it the Bokoor Recording Studio. For a while, it was one of only two music studios in all of Ghana.

More than 200 local musicians have laid down their tracks there. Over the years, the artists who passed through the Bokoor Studio represented all branches of Ghanaian music. There were jazz musicians, gospel ensembles, reggae bands and even traditional drummers. But Bokoor Beats has a narrower focus.

As the CD's subtitle puts it, this is "vintage afro-beat, afro-rock and electric high-life from Ghana."