Nana Kwame Ampadu (now deceased), was a Ghanaian musician credited with numerous popular highlife numbers. During his life as a musician, he composed not less than 400 songs.
He rose to become President of MUSIGA and was also the leader of the African Brothers Band, formed in 1963.
Table of Contents
Date Of Birth
Nana Kwame Ampadu was born on the 31st of March, 1945.
Place of Birth
He was born at Obo – Kwahu where there is the annual Easter festival which is widely celebrated by Ghanaians.
Parents
Nana Ampadu was born to Opanyin Kwame Ampadu, the then head of the Asona clan of Obo Kwahu in the Eastern Region of Ghana, and madam Mercy Afua Ntiriwaa, a stanch presbyter also of Obo Kwahu. He was named Kwame Ampadu after his father.
African Brothers Band
The African Brothers Band was formed in 1963, and was inaugurated in the same year in Accra, at the Park Cinema Theater at Adabraka. As there is the root to every tree, it is inevitably important to recount the events that led to the formation of the African Brothers Band.
How Come The Name African Brothers Band
All members of the band were told to write a name so that the most resounding could be chosen and registered. One of the Bandsmen, K. Ofori who was much older wrote African Brothers Band. All unanimously accepted this name after K. Ofori defended it by acknowledging that as the then President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was pivoting the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (O.A.U) the name African Brothers Band could play a supportive part in Osagyefo’s aspirations as brotherliness and oneness for Africa.
That was how the name African Brothers was chosen for the Band which was formed. Nana Ampadu was the chosen as the leader, but because of his diminutive stature at the time, K. Ofori was asked to act for him temporarily.
Unfortunately, or fortunately K. Ofori, a driver by profession left the group not long into the formation. Nana Ampadu was therefore encouraged to take full responsibility as the bandleader. This was effected before the inauguration where Nana Nyarko, former bass singer of Yamoah’s band joined the group. He was made the patron/manager of the band and it was through his relentless efforts and great experience that a business man from Kwahu saw some vision in the group and helped make the inauguration ceremony a great success.
Later in 1964, Joe Dee a.k.a Kwabena Appiah and Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku joined the group as a string bass player and a tenor singer respectively. All the members were teenagers at that time so no one really regarded them especially because back in the days, only older men were regarded as musicians.
Due to this, the only places the group could be engaged were in the small-spaced beer bars, and Moslem wedding engagements known as “SUNNA” and at times funerals which in most cases they played for free to advertise their presence and capabilities, where they relied on the coins that funeral attendants gave them in appreciation.
One unusual but significant thing about this teenager’s group was that they mostly played their own compositions at their engagements to the admiration of their audience; and people wondered how this unusual thing could be done, only by such ‘Small Boys’.
In 1965 and 1966, Yaw Owusu and Kwame Anim left the group whilst one Agyeman joined as a drummer. He was however a grown-up person in his early thirties. This was after the band had recorded its maiden 45 R.P.M singles on the 14th day of November 1966 at the Ghana Film Industries Corporation in Accra under the label of Phillips West Africa Ltd. Publishers of Music. Two songs were recorded on that day: Agyanka Dabere and Suminaso Ntonko.
After the release of this 45 R.P.M hit, the African Brothers Band became the talk of town as people yearned to see them, thinking they were adults like the age group of EK’s, Kakaiku’s, Onyina’s, K Gyasi’s bands. Producers and publishers craved to sign them on but Ampadu wanted to remain with Phillips West Africa Ltd.
In 1967, Phillips West Africa recorded six songs with the African Brothers Band. Because the company was convinced that the Band was potentially good for recordings as their maiden recording caught on well with the public. In the same year, the director of the Ambassador records Manufacturing Company, Mr. A. K. BADU signed a contract with the group and recorded eight (8) songs with them. In the same year when the band was based in Kumasi, the G.F.I.C also contracted the group to record sixteen (16) songs.
But in all of these, Nana Kwame Ampadu was not persuaded to sign any perpetual contract with any company or individual. The African Brothers had the songs and were ready to record for any company or individual who was interested. It was in 1967 that the band gained accelerating popularity as they had released some sensational catchy songs like OKWADUO, EBI TE YIE, NKRAN ABRABO, KAE WO WUDAMU, and MANOMAA NUA etc.
At this point, many producers tried their best to entice the group with sets of musical instruments and the luckiest of them all was D. K. Nyarko, of Obuaba Labels who later opened more labels, Happy Bird, Adwana and D.K.N.
From 1968, the African Brothers band became the “BEETLES” of Ghana. They became so popular that people formed cues to buy their records at the shops. At concert theaters and dance halls too, the crowd was so thick that confusion broke many times to disrupt performances.
Between 1968 and 1970 Nana Ampadu had recorded not less than thirty (30) 45 R.P.M singles, a fact that was not equaled by any band at that time.
Some of the charts topping tracks in those days were: Ankoma Boafo, Ofie Nwansena, Owuo Yi, Yebewu Nti Yenna, Id Wo Kunu Ni, Seantie, Mmara Nsem Du, Mene Wo Nnante Bio, Emelia, Otumfuo Osei Agyeman Prempeh Abusua Nnye Asafo, Sefa Wo Suban, Anibue Aba.
From 1972 to 1994 the African Brothers Band won many awards including Legon Hall Award in 1981, Rex Image Awards, ECRAG Awards, ACRAG Award, National Commission On Culture Award.
The greatest national award was the one conferred on their leader Nana Kwame Ampadu as ‘Nwontofohene Nana Kwame Ampadu 1’ in 1973, February 10 and the Grand Medal of the Volta Civil Division Award in 1997 on Ghana’s 40th Independence anniversary by the President, his excellency Flt. JJ Rawlings.
In 1998, he publicly declared his foray into evangelism and dedication of his life to the service of God.
Nwontofohene Nana Ampadu died on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at the Legon Hospital in Accra where he was receiving treatment for an illness.
He died at age 76.
Ewurama Acheampoma