Legendary Highlife musician Nana Kwame Ampadu passes on

Legendary Ghanaian high-life musician, Nana Kwame Ampadu has been reportedly dead.

 The ‘Ebi Te Yie’ composer, family sources say died early hours of Tuesday, September 28 at age 76.

Biography and Music Career

Nana Ampadu, a popular house hold name in the Ghanaian entertainment circles was  born in March 31, 1945 in Adiemmra on the Afram Plains in the Eastern Region and shot to fame in 1967 with is hit track Ebi Te yie, a song seen as potentially critical of the then-governing, National Liberation Council .

He formed the African Brothers Band with Eddie Donkor as one of its founding members in 1963 and is credited with over 800 songs in the over 5decade career which had seen him represent Ghana in many international platforms.

The Obo-Kwahu native is identified with numerous popular high life tracks ranging from money, love, marriage, good citizenship, greed, drunkenness, death, road manners for commercial drivers, effective parenting, social stratification, and virtually every aspect of our being in this country.

Songs

Notably among his hit tracks were the Oman Bo Adwo, Obi Benya Wo, Obra, Agartha, Obi Do Ba, Ebi Ti Yie, Aku Sika, Yaw Berko, Kofi Nkrabea, Obiaa Ba Nnye, Woyoo Woyoo, Mother, Mentumi Ngyae Wo, Aye Se Ye Do Wo, Drivers, Anibere Nnye, Kwaata, and host of  many others.

Nana Ampadu in Ghana’s Politics

Nana Ampadu as affectionately called took interest in Ghana’s electoral politics for a while as he was said to have composed,a campaign song for  the leader of National Democratic Congress’s Jerry John Rawlings in 1992.

He again composed another song critical of the same NDC leader in an attempt to disqualify him due to his half-Scottish background.

 Achievement

Nana Ampadu has won a number of awards in his career life as a musician, including the 2015 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) Lifetime Achievement Award and a nationwide competition in 1973 which earned him the crown ‘Singer in- Chief’ otherwise known as the Odwontofoohene in the Ghanaian local parlance.

Source: GhanaPlus.com