John Asante Opoku, better known as Jon K
Twenty-five years have flown by since Ghanaian music producer, keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and recording artist, John Asante Opoku, better known as Jon K, passed away. A concert will be held in his honor at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra on July 20, 2024.
He was a broad-minded and forward-looking figure whose works and contributions to the music of numerous others enriched popular music in Ghana and beyond during the late 1980s and 1990s.
He released three albums under his name: 'Adowa' (1987), 'Asaboni' (1989), and 'Gidigidi' (1993). Jon K also produced albums for other acts, including Ben Brako, Frank Bafy, Thomas Frimpong, Mr. Cee, Nana Bugyei, Western Diamonds, Paddy Hayes, Peejay Scott, and more.
Artists scheduled to perform at the memorial concert on July 20 include Bessa Simons and the Bessa Band, Pozo Hayes, Joe Osei, Okyeame Kwame, Pauline Oduro, and Amandzeba.
Jon K died on July 19, 1999, in a London hospital where he had been rushed after collapsing in a recording studio while producing singer Nana Yaa’s debut album.
A product of Adisadel College in Cape Coast, Jon K was active in school bands. He joined the professional ranks in the late 1970s as a keyboardist for trumpeter Eddie Quansah's Tabu band, which was praised for formulating a unique approach to African Jazz.
After moving to London, Jon K worked mostly from Sultan Sound Studio at Kilburn with his Kenyan-born British producer friend, Dave Yowell. His debut album, 'Adowa,' released in 1987, projected him as a well-grounded musician who had brought a brilliant fusion of African rhythms and Western electronic melodies to the London music landscape.
