Ghanaba Is 80!

Divine Drummer Ghanaba, turned octogenerian last week and he celebrated his 80th birthday in a grand style with events running over two days. On the first day of the celebrations last weekend, Ghanaba thrilled a large crowd made up of friends and well-wishers to some great performances at the Alliance Francaise in Accra.

The celebrations also saw some great performance from Nii Tetteh, the African Show Boys, Glen Ghanaba and his group, all from Ghana. Dede from Nigeria and BB, a Ghanaian musician based in Paris gave an international flavour to the celebration of the life of Africa's legend.

They all took turns to thrill the audience and pay tribute to the Divine Drummer who later on did a few songs with BB.

Still looking strong and maintaining all those wonderful skills, Ghanaba performed to the admiration of large and distinguished gathering. Ghanaba used the occasion to pay tributes to four people who propped him up in life.

There were Milt Gaberel, the Executive Director of Decca Records, his mistress Marie Antoinette Wilkins-Howels who supported him in the United States and Dennis Preston, Chief Executive Officer of Landsdown studio in London.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings also came up for special mention. Ghanaba recounted how Rawlings, then a young man, became friends with his (Ghanaba's) son Glen. The Divine Drummer affectionately called the ex-President Fafawola.

The celebrations were crowned with a dinner at the Indigo Night Club on Sunday.