Kwame Yeboah | |
---|---|
Born | Wassa, Ghana | 17 November 1977
Occupation(s) | Musician, producer, recording engineer, instrumentalist |
Kwame Yeboah (born 17 November 1977) is a Ghanaian musician, guitarist, keyboardist, producer, recording- engineer and multi-instrumentalist. Originally from a village in Western Ghana, his love for music led him all around the world working with international artists and back to his home country where he operated his recording studio, Mixstation until early 2017 and is gaining reputation with bands under his name and supervision such as his band Ohia b3y3 ya.
His father A.K. Yeboah was a veteran highlife musician. Kwame grew up in a band house with his many half siblings and his fathers musician friends, surrounded by music, playing drums by age 5 and guitar by age 7, soon moving on to keyboards. [1] At age 18, Kwame left his then girlfriend and young daughter behind to move to Denmark and study music (Arrangement and Harmony) and took up workshops with Jazz Artists and music tutors such as Michel Camilo and Danilo Pérez. [2] He also fathered a son with an aspiring Danish singer.
Kwame Yeboah relocated to the UK after being invited to work with Award-winning British Urban artist Ms. Dynamite, which was followed by many TV appearances and live shows. Now based in London, he moved on to working with many British artists such as MPHO, Daniel Bedingfield, Jamie Scott, Rhian Benson, Mis-Teeq, R'n'B/Garage heartthrob Craig David who he recently accompanied on his 2013 World Tour. [3]
Having toured and worked with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Omar, Shaggy, Another Level, Ken Boothe, Tom Jones and many more, Kwame is currently a member of the Supowers working and touring with Sierra Leonean-German Reggae/ Soul artist Patrice Bart-Williams [4] as well as Yusuf/Cat Stevens´s Roadsters.
Despite not being in the same country for more than a month going from his home in London to stages all over the world, Kwame is continuously active in his home country Ghana and the Ghanaian music business. He has been known as the keyboardist and music director for Ghana's number 1 selling artist Kojo Antwi. He is also a part of the Ghanaian Afro-pop band Osibisa. [5]
Kwame operates his Mixstation Studio out of Accra, Ghana producing and promoting African artists such as Wunmi, Becca, Nana Yaa and Efya. As a musical director, he was responsible for shows like Vodafone Icons Reality Show [6] and Red Lipsticks Concert. [7] His Ohia b3y3 ya Band, also known as OBY, released their first single "Only you" in 2013. [8]
In 2014, he started the sega/reggae fusion band "the sYnergee" with fellow musicians and friends Eric Appapoulay (Vocals and guitar), Joshua McKenzie aka MckNasty (drums), Rick Leon James (bass), Marcina Arnold (percussion) and Karlos Edwards (percussion). [9]
Kwame recently "revived" Ghanaian highlife singer Pat Thomas and brought him along with his Kwashibu Area Band to stages around Europe while still touring with heartthrob Craig David and Yusuf Cat Stevens as their Musical Director.
A prized musician in Ghana, winning the 2010 Ghana Music Award for Best Instrumentalist. [10]
In May 2021, he was awarded the 'Instrumentalist of the Year' in the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) . [11]
There are many styles of traditional and modern music of Ghana, due to Ghana's worldwide geographic position on the African continent.
George Darko was a Ghanaian burger-highlife musician, guitarist, vocalist, composer and songwriter, who was on the music scene from the late 1960s. A native of Akropong, Ghana, Darko was popular in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and his songs are some of the most timeless and enduring highlife tracks in Ghana's music circles. Some of his contemporaries include Ben Brako, C.K. Mann, Daddy Lumba, Ernest Nana Acheampong, Nana Kwame Ampadu and Pat Thomas, among others. He was widely considered to be one of the pioneers of burger-highlife with his first hit "Ako Te Brofo" which was released in 1983. The song remains popular among Ghanaians both at home and abroad, and is still played at funerals and parties.
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Daddy Lumba is a Ghanaian singer-songwriter and musician and has about 34 albums to his name. Born Charles Kwadwo Fosuh, he is widely regarded as the greatest Ghanaian musician of all time.
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Michael Owusu Addo, known professionally as Sarkodie, is a Ghanaian rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur from Tema. He started rapping at a young age and has since become a household name in the Ghanaian and Global music industry. His contributions to the Ghanaian music industry have earned him numerous accolades, including TGMA then Vodafone Ghana Music Award (VGMA) for "Artiste of the Decade". He was announced the first winner of BET's Best International Flow Artist at the 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards. He is also considered one of the major proponents of the Azonto genre and dance and as the most successful African rapper of all time. Due to the variety of musical genres. he can perform in, Sarkodie is referred to as a "multifaceted rapper" and frequently raps in his native language, Twi.
Kojo Antwi, also known as "Mr. Music Man", is a Ghanaian Afro pop, highlife, reggae musical artist and a former Ghamro chairman. Born Julius Kojo Antwi into a family of 13 siblings, he grew up in Darkuman, a suburb of Accra. He has 22 albums to his name, with "Tom & Jerry" being one of his most popular songs in West Africa Ghana.
Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., is a Ghanaian reggae-dancehall artist. He is known by his stage name Shatta Wale, formerly Bandana. Shatta Wale changed his name to "Bandana'' after senior high school and released the hit track "Bandana from Ghana". The song made tremendous air waves in the Ghanaian music industry in 2004. Shatta Wale's sudden rise to the occasion happen in 2013 VGMA awards when he threw lyrical insults to VGMA now Telecel Ghana Music Awards ( TGMA)". because he proclaimed they robbed him of the Dancehall artist of the year to a female Dancehall artist Kaakie. Even though the song had vulgar lyrics, it was so anticipated by the media which created his musical breakthrough.
Livingstone Etse Satekla, better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian Afropop, Afro-dancehall and reggae musician from Ashaiman, Accra.
Rebecca Akosua Acheampomaa Acheampong, known mononymously as Becca, is a Ghanaian singer, songwriter and actress. She first gained recognition as a contestant on the second season of TV3's annual singing competition Mentor. Her debut studio album Sugar was released in 2007; it earned her five nominations at the 2008 Ghana Music Awards, including Record of the Year for "You Lied to Me". On 16 May 2013, Becca released her second studio album Time 4 Me, which features guest appearances from 2face Idibia, MI, King Ayisoba, Trigmatic, Jay Storm and Akwaboah. The album was certified 2x platinum in Ghana.
Kwame Nsiah-Apau, known by his stage name Okyeame Kwame and nicknamed Rap Doctor, is a Ghanaian musician, songwriter, creative director and a Developmental Activist. His dual roles as an artist and an activist have led to his recognition as an "artivist."
R2Bees is a Ghanaian hip hop and hiplife duo from Tema, comprising two cousins, Faisal Hakeem and Rashid Mugeez. They were nominated for the 2013 BET Awards. In March 2019, the duo released their third studio album, Site 15.
Nana Kwame Ampadu was a Ghanaian musician and composer credited with numerous popular highlife tracks and he is known to have composed over 800 songs. He was also known as Adwomtofo Nyinaa hempɔn. Ampadu was the lead singer, chief songwriter, and founder of the "African Brothers Band". He is regarded as a pioneer of highlife and afrobeat music and one of the most illustrious Ghanaian musicians of the 20th century.
Gladstorm Kwabena Akwaboah Jnr., known by his stage name Akwaboah Jnr., is a Ghanaian singer-songwriter and producer from Mampong Beposo. He is the son of highlife musician Kwadwo Akwaboah. He wrote "Daa Ke Daa" for Becca and "Ayeyi Ndwom" for DSP Kofi Sarpong. Both songs won their respective artistes' awards at the 2010 Ghana Music Awards, with Akwaboah subsequently being adjudged the "Song Writer for the Year" for "Daa Ke Daa".
Samuel Ofori Amponsah, also known by the name Mr. All 4 Real, is a Ghanaian singer-songwriter from Agogo, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Throughout his career, he has released fourteen solo albums, the most recent being "Million Dollar," which was released in 2020. He is regarded as one of Ghana's best 21st-century highlife musicians.
Mujahid Ahmed Bello known by his stage name Fancy Gadam, is a Ghanaian afropop, dancehall and reggae musician. In 2017, he won Ghana Music Awards for Best New Artist and in 2020, he was named BestAfrobeat Entertainer at the International Reggae and World Music Awards.
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Eugene Kwame Marfo, who goes by the stage name Kuami Eugene is a Ghanaian High-life and Afrobeat singer-songwriter. He is signed to Lynx Entertainment and Empire Distribution and is known for several songs, including "Angela", "Wish Me Well", "Ohemaa", "Wa Ye Wie" and many others. He won the Unsung and New Artist awards in 2017 and 2018 from the Ghana Music Awards respectively, and the Ghana Music Awards UK. He also received the Most Promising Artist in Africa award from AFRIMA / LYNXGHANA. In 2019, Kwame Eugene received 7 nominations at the Ghana Music Awards and went on to win the awards for Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, and Highlife Artist of the Year. He was crowned Artist of the Year and High-life Artist of the Year at the 2020 Ghana Music Awards.