Lucky Mensah

Alex Mensah otherwise known as Lucky Mensah is a seasoned highlife musician, one who does not get enough credit for his contributions to the development of Ghanaian music. At a time when all directions of Ghanaian music seem to be gearing only towards hiplife, Lucky Mensah is one of the few musicians who has stuck to highlife music over the past 17 years.

This silky smooth alto singer hails from Gomoa Dominase near Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana. Lucky started singing at a tender age of eleven years with the Massacass Gospel Singers of the Christo Asafo church. He intimated that what inspired him to further his god-given talent was a group way back in 1981 known as the Calvary Singers who used to sing in his church. He always went to church purposely to listen to them sing and that motivated him to take his singing to the next level.

Blessed with a multi-octave vocal range and a dynamic stage presence, Lucky Mensah has nine albums to his credit which includes Nsawa Bo(1993), Glory to the Lord(1994),Wope A Hwe(1995), Agooji Baby(2001), Brofre Nie(2002), Aduu Sumo Akwadu (2004), Old School(2005), Bottom of My Heart(2006), and I Miss You(2008).

    In 1993, Lucky Mensah came out with his debut album Nsawa Bo, to rave reviews but disappointing sales. Undeterred by this turn of events, he followed this up the next year by collaborating with Matthew Kwaku, to release a gospel album titled Glory to the Lord. Lucky did release yet another highlife album, Wope A Hwe, in 1995. Like his maiden release, this sophomore CD did not do fare any better on the music scene and was compelled to take a long hiatus away from music. He blames the lackluster performance of the two earlier albums to tepid promotion and the decision of then producer Kwame Ghana Promotions to withhold release of the second album. During the long spell away from music, Lucky filled his time composing and writing for fellow musicians such as Oheneba Kissi (Ampoma) and Charles Eloh.

    Lucky Mensah would finally enjoy commercial success and critical acclaim in 2001 with the release of Agooji Baby. This breakout album had many hit tracks including the very popular Mene Wonni Asem and the title track Agooji Baby. Half of the songs on the 10-track album are songs that are best enjoyed on the dance floor. This renewed interest would propel him to release a string of highly successful albums leading to his song, Aduu Sumo Akwadu being judged The Best Highlife Song of the Year at the 2005 Ghana Music Awards. However, this streak of success would hit a bump when Lucky Mensah composed and performed songs for the platform of then opposition National Democratic Congress Party (NDC) during the 2008 electioneering campaign. His music sales will suffer as a result of his political affiliation with the NDC party. To further compound matters, Lucky Mensah stated that he was not fully reimbursed for his efforts and bumped up against official party hierarchy in attempting to recoup his funds because no contractual agreement was reached for his works. This lyrically gifted musician decided to put the ordeal behind him and has settled in the United States to re-strategize his career.

        The sales of his most recent album I Miss You is doing measurably well, considering it was self-financed. He recently composed and released the song ”Osee Yie” for the Ghanaian National Football team, the Black Stars during their impressive run at the just-ended World Cup competition.During my interview with Lucky Mensah, he decried the issue of Payola, the high level of piracy and actions of some radio presenters/disk jockeys that encumber the music industry. He also questioned the amount of foreign music content on Ghanaian radio stations, especially Nigerian music that has taken precedence over local artistes.

From my point of view, I think this talented dude is certainly one of the best highlife musicians around and his lyrics touch on the everyday aspects of life. Keep your fingers crossed for his future projects.



P.S. Lucky Mensah will be a guest on my weekend show (Saturdays 2pm EST), The Afrikan Express Show on Akwaaba Radio.com on 08/14/2010. Please join me for this interview.

The Afrikan Child © Copyright 2010. All Rights reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be duplicated without the author's permission. Also, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. General inquiries should be directed to our Web feedback box, accessible from this link or from the footer at the bottom of most pages on our site.

Papa She'ee: The Wonder Boy

Papa She’ee (pronounced ‘she’), a protégé of the late Akwasi Ampofo Agyei arguably represents the future of highlife music in Ghana. This Hyattsville, Maryland based musician has over the past decade and a half churned out music that is both captivating and uplifting. An independent artiste and devout christian, Papa She’ee loves performing live for his teeming fans and works assiduously to deliver quality music. Lyrically, vocally and melodically, Papa She’ee has a voice that is both recognizable and unforgettable. His music has enjoyed considerable airplay throughout Ghana and the rest of Africa.

Papa She’ee has 6 albums to his credit which include Mebo m'amanne sen nie (1994), Deda me (1996), Atadwe (2000), Koyon so (2002), Ate pa (2004) and Akokono Ato Pa Gen (2009). His latest work “Akokono Ato Pa Gen” is a 12 track CD that was recorded in Chicago and has production work by JQ. It features backing vocals from Lady Suzu and Ava Sherry. My personal favorites on this album are “Obeye a Mawoonso”, “Deyie Daye Wo Pe” and “Maame Konadu” ( Papa She’ee’s wife)which pays tribute to her love and encouragement. She’ee has sojourned in the United Kingdom and Germany, where he incidentally worked with Bodo Staiger (the famed German sound engineer/guitarist who has worked with the likes of Amakye Dede, Charles Amoah and George Darko).

Nana Yaw Cudjoe, as he is popularly called, is the first Ghanaian musician to come out with a full length music DVD aptly named Touch the Sky. This work exhibits She’ee’s high quality production work and level of professional craft, which hitherto is missing in the Ghanaian music industry. His music can be found on Itunes and Last.FM. Additionally, Papa She’ee’s cds can be purchased at most African shops and music distribution joints the world over. The “Wonder Boy” has performed to diverse audiences; the largest was at the Independence Square Accra, in March 1998 during US President Bill Clinton’s visit.

In commemoration of Barack Obama's winning the U.S. general election, Papa She’ee hit the studio and recorded a new song called 'Obama –Yes We Can’, just in time for Obama’s inauguration. On July 24th, 2010, yours truly was fortunate to witness an energetic, crowd-pleasing performance by the “Wonder Boy” where he was a supporting act at a Kojo Antwi concert. Papa She'ee performed Koyon so, Ate Pa, Atadwe and Akokono Atopa Gen, the title track from his latest album. And yes, the ladies were going crazy. Wɔnmo nti gyae! Please make it a point to see and support one of Africa’s most exciting stage performers whenever he is on tour in a city near you!

Photo Credit: HighlifeToday.com

P.S. I will be interviewing him for my weekend show on 08/7/2010, The Afrikan Express Show(Saturdays 2pm-4pm EST) on Akwaaba Radio.com. Readers, please mark your calendars and tune in for this interview.




The Afrikan Child © Copyright 2010. All Rights reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be duplicated without the author's permission. Also, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. General inquiries should be directed to our Web feedback box, accessible from this link or from the footer at the bottom of most pages on our site.

Theo Yaw Boakye

Theo Yaw Boakye is a Ghanaian musician based in Toronto, Canada. He was the lead vocalist of Nakupenda (a group of African musicians), that performed several times at the very first AfroFest in 1989. The group also appeared at the Caribana, toured the UK, the U.S and Africa. They recorded seven albums and have since disbanded. In 1994, he released an album Swinging Safari, and has experienced great popularity in his native Ghana and as well as in Canada. This charismatic percussionist and vocalist was a member of the collaborative African Guitar Summit that won the 2005 Juno Award in Canada.

The Afrikan Child © Copyright 2010. All Rights reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be duplicated without the author's permission. Also, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. General inquiries should be directed to our Web feedback box, accessible from this link or from the footer at the bottom of most pages on our site.