Celebrating Amakye Dede 50 years in the Music industry

CELEBRATING NANA AMAKYE DEDE 50 YEARS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.

Music they say, is food for the soul that’s why songs laced with good lyrics, are evergreen. The celebrant Nana Amakye Dede, falls into this category.

Born, bred and schooled at Agogo Asante Akyem, he was named after one of my maternal grandparents Nana Kofi Dede an industrious man who lived from the 1880 era till he died in the 1960’s.

Nana Amakye Dede’s influence in the music industry, started when he was in the Elementary School from the Agogo Roman Catholic Primary to the St Augustine Middle School and Agogo State Secondary from the 60’s to the 70’s and as a member of the Roman Catholic Church CYO.

The Apollo Hi Kings Band, started as young men within the Agogo enclave congregating at a place called “Nkwanta Nan so(Four junction) in the night with guys like Kwasi John(Bass), Asabere(Guitars) Nana Amakye(Vocals), Bro Sammy(Vocals), Sam Agyei(Guitars) Sam Agyei(who later joined Obuoba JA Adofo as a Keyboardist) late Smart Frimpong(Drums) and a senior brother of Nana Amakye Dede in the early 70’s.

Later in 1975, Nana Amakye Dede moved to Mampong to join Kumapem Royals led by the late Akwasi Ampofo Adjei(Mr AAA).

In 1976 when the Agogo Community Centre was commissioned, the Apollo Hi Kings Band was the first to play there though Nana Amakye Dede was still with the Kumapem Royals.

During the later part of the 70’s, Nana Amakye sojourn to Nigeria where he teamed up with the late Smart Frimpong and revived the Apollo Hi Kings Band. They returned to Ghana during the mass deportation of Ghanaians

in 1983 and continued with the band based at Agogo Asante Akyem with Papa Jama(Drums)BB(Keyboards) Kwamina Uray(Vocals)

SmartFrimpong(Guitars)Kwaku Oppong Elo( Backing Vocals) Nana Amakye(Vocals) , Amponsah( A loss Backing Vocals), Opoku(Bass) and others.

They became the resident band at Nsasco, a house which was used as an alternative to hosting other bands when the Agogo Community Centre was overbooked. I used to fetch water for him and some of the instrumentalists just to gain access to watch their performances.

Because of the 1983 famine, things became very difficult however, a benevolent one bought new instruments for Nana Amakye where they recorded so many songs. The band left Agogo and came to Accra to stay at Abeka Lapaz where Nana Amakye met the famous Keyboardist and Producer, the late Kwasi Yobo whose production with Nana Amakye with guys like the late Mackie Flash one of the fearsome bassist to have emerged on the music scene in Ghana, all joining the fray.

In the early 90’s Nana Amakye went to Germany