Amakye Dede
Encyclopedia
Dan Amakye Dede is a Ghana
ian musician. He is one of Ghana's premier highlife
artistes and is called "Iron Boy", "the highlife maestro" and "Abrantie" (Gentleman).
Dede began his career in 1973 when he joined the Kumapim Royals as a composer and vocalist. This band, led by Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (AAA), had hits like Abebi Bewua Eso, Wanware Me A, Odo Mani Agyina and the seminal Ohohoo Batani. Dede moved to Nigeria
where he had his hit Jealousy go shame.
He then formed his own band, the Apollo High Kings, in 1980. He dominated the highlife scene in the 1980s and 1990s and continues to have hit songs in the 21st century.
He has almost 20 albums to his credit. In his later career, he experimented with different genres; soca
, calypso
, lovers rock
and pop music
.
He owns a very popular bar in Accra
called Abrantee Spot, where he helps celebrate live-band music.
Some of his popular songs include Handkerchief, Seniwa, Brebrebe yi, Mensuro, Mabre, Broken Promises, Nsuo Amuna, Sokoo na mmaa pe, Kose kose, Dabi dabi, Mefre wo, Okyena sesei, Odo nfonii, Nka akyi, M'ani agyina, To be a man na war, and Iron Boy.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian musician. He is one of Ghana's premier highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
artistes and is called "Iron Boy", "the highlife maestro" and "Abrantie" (Gentleman).
Dede began his career in 1973 when he joined the Kumapim Royals as a composer and vocalist. This band, led by Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (AAA), had hits like Abebi Bewua Eso, Wanware Me A, Odo Mani Agyina and the seminal Ohohoo Batani. Dede moved to Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
where he had his hit Jealousy go shame.
He then formed his own band, the Apollo High Kings, in 1980. He dominated the highlife scene in the 1980s and 1990s and continues to have hit songs in the 21st century.
He has almost 20 albums to his credit. In his later career, he experimented with different genres; soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
, calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
, lovers rock
Lovers rock
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid 1970s.-History:...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
He owns a very popular bar in Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
called Abrantee Spot, where he helps celebrate live-band music.
Some of his popular songs include Handkerchief, Seniwa, Brebrebe yi, Mensuro, Mabre, Broken Promises, Nsuo Amuna, Sokoo na mmaa pe, Kose kose, Dabi dabi, Mefre wo, Okyena sesei, Odo nfonii, Nka akyi, M'ani agyina, To be a man na war, and Iron Boy.