Philipa Baafi, others mourn George Forest

Ghanaian gospel musician, Philipa Baafi, has described sound engineer George Forest who died on Wednesday after a short illness as an extraordinary man who never joked with his work.

Speaking exclusively to 3news.com, an emotional Philipa Baafi described the late George Forest as a sound engineer with a difference.

“George was an extraordinary human, a sound engineer with a difference. He is a very serious man with his work and very private and he called his studio ‘Forest’ because when it was time to work, it was just you and him and nobody else,” she mentioned.

According to Philipa, George always wanted the local African elements in his music, so he gave every song he worked on the highlife rhythms because he never preferred the foreign rhythms in songs he produced.

“He was very particular about the beats to his song that he produced, so what he usually does was to listen to song and tuned to suit the highlife rhythm which I found very fascinating.

George would always make sure you prayed over every production you bring to him because he believed prayer was a very key element in how far your music can make an impact. I will surely miss him and will never forget the man George Forest,” Philipa revealed.

In a related development, the deceased’s private residence at Atimatim-Chairman Junction in the Afigya Kwabre District and the family house at Old Tafo have suddenly become mourning grounds.

Sympathisers, including musicians, joined his wife and children to mourn a husband and a father.

His sudden departure has left the family in an utter shock.

His traumatised eldest daughter, Agnes Owusu, explained that “it’s very shocking. I didn’t expect this thing to happen at this time.

“The last thing he told me was, I should try to get a very good job to do so that I can help him. I have siblings who are very young so I should take very good care of the house. I didn’t know he was just speaking to me for the last time,” she added.

George Forest’s brother, Rev Isaac Gyamfi, is yet to come to terms with the passing of his brother as he struggled to gather words to quantify the loss of the breadwinner of the family.

“He is the number one in our family. We don’t have anybody like him in the family. He is the pillar of the family. He has carried the family from his childhood. He’s everything to the family and I don’t know what we are going to do,” he said.

Some musicians have also been sharing their sentiments over Mr Owusu’s passing.

Asebu Amenfi, a highlife artiste, and Osuani Afrifah who benefitted from the professional exploits of the deceased wondered how a ‘mere’ fever could cause the death of a once a very strong man.