Highlife Legend Nana Kwame Ampadu Dies At Age 76

The legendary singer and songwriter Nana Kwame Ampadu has died. On Tuesday morning, the news was announced when his son confirmed the news via Kokrokoo, which Kwami Sefa Kayi hosted on the peacefm Radio station.

He died in the early hours of today at his home at Akweteyman within the Greater Accra Region. The reason for his death is yet to be established. Nana Kwame Ampadu dies at the age of 76.

Nana Kwame Ampadu is considered the King of Highlife. He was a singer, composer as well as a guitarist. His brilliant storytelling abilities in his music gave him a lot of admiration from including adults and kids.

His songs dealt with love and marriage, money, decent citizenship, drunkenness, greed, road manners, good parenting, and almost everything living in the country.

In 1992 Kwame Ampadu was the first to release a single to exclude Rawlings from the presidential election because he was half-Scottish.

He gained fame in the year 1967 when he released Ebi Te Yie; the track was omitted from radio airwaves because it was thought of as possibly threatening to the then-governing body. Still, it was heard on the radio after the fall of the regime of military dictatorship.

Ampadu was crowned the Odwontofoohene(singer-in-chief) at a nationwide competition in Ghana in 1973.

The native of Obo-Kwahu was the first to form the famous African Brothers Band in 1963. One of the original members was Eddie Donkor, who was also a professional musician.

Nana Kwame composed of over 800 songs and has been acknowledged with many tracks from the highlife genre, including Ebi Ti Yie, Aku Sika, Kofi Nkrabea, Obiaa Ba Nnye, Aye Se Ye Do Wo, Obra, Drivers, Anibere Ennye, Oman Bo Adwo, Kwaata, Agartha, Woyoo Woyoo, Mother and Mentumi Engyae Wo.

In the mid-80s to early 90s, the singer groomed and made albums for female singers, such as Mum B, Akosua Agyapong, Ama Oforiwah, Rita Owusu, Stella Tackie, and Abena Nyanteh.

The highlife king was born on the 31st of March 1945 in Adiemmra, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana, and passed away on the 28th of September in 2021, aged 76.