Sankofa Series: Meet Rocky Dawuni, the two-time Ghanaian Grammy-nominated singer

This musician is one of Ghana's most celebrated heroes with global recognition.

He has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and performed at the American Super Bowl event due to the impact his songs have on people's lives.

This personality is in the person of Rocky Dawuni.

Dawuni was born to a cook at a military base in Ghana. His father's intelligence and charm helped him become the cook for the base's high-ranking officials.

The second of eight siblings, Dawuni excelled at school, and eventually, his father decided to move him back to their home village, where he could learn more about his cultural heritage.

After retiring from the military, Koyatu returned to his native village to serve as the chief, a role currently held by Dawuni's older brother, Chief Wumbe Dawuni.

"I was always looking for music; whenever bands played, I would gravitate towards that. There was a band in the barracks called Hot Barrels. I remember that every time they had a rehearsal, I would chill at their space and just listen to them play," he said, according to rockydawuni.com.

He moved to the capital city of Accra to pursue a degree in philosophy and psychology at the University of Ghana. While at university, he formed his first band, Local Crisis, with a group of friends. They had no real instruments except an acoustic guitar played by the bassist.

Dawuni sang and performed his original songs. Despite the lack of instruments and professional recording equipment, their music gained immediate success on campus.

The band decided to take part in a major Pan-African event happening in Accra. However, they had no idea about how to book concerts. As a result, they simply showed up at the promoter's office on the day of the event.

The promoter, intrigued by this group of passionate yet inexperienced student musicians, decided to let them play once the main concert was over. As spectators started leaving the venue, Local Crisis picked up the instruments on stage, unsure of how to use such advanced equipment, and began to play their music with heart and soul.

The audience eagerly returned to their seats, the band was a hit, and Dawuni's musical career took off. It was during this time that Dawuni met his eventual life partner and manager, Cary Sullivan, a photographer and producer from Los Angeles. Dawuni wished to grow musically and to make art that could spread beyond the borders of Ghana.

In 1996 he produced his first album, "The Movement," backed by members of Local Crisis and other Ghanaian reggae stars. "The Movement" became a major success in Ghana with several hit singles, including "What Goes Around" and "Sugar."

His first international exposure came through the 1998 Putumayo collection "Reggae Around the World," which featured his song "In Ghana" alongside tracks by Lucky Dube, Burning Spear, Ernest Ranglin and others.

In 2010, Dawuni contributed a cover of Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining" to the Putumayo album "Tribute to a Reggae Legend." In 1998, Dawuni released his second album "Crusade," followed by "Awakening" in 2001, "Book of Changes" in 2005 and "Hymns for the Rebel Soul" in 2010. Each album brought him greater acclaim and wider recognition both in Ghana and abroad.

Dawuni's music has been featured in numerous television programs, including E.R., Weeds and Dexter. In 2010, Dawuni's song "African Soccer Fever" was included in the FIFA World Cup South Africa video game from E.A. Sports, one of many times Dawuni's songs had been included in E.A. video games.

Dawuni's cover of John Lennon's "Well Well Well" appeared on the digital bonus version of the Amnesty International benefit album "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur", which was released by Warner Brothers in 2007 and featured appearances by U2, R.E.M., Aerosmith featuring Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Black Eyed Peas and others.

Dawuni has also participated in the 2009 Playing for Change album, singing along with Bono on "War/No More Trouble" and Keb Mo' on "Biko."

Rocky's performances include appearing in front of 18,000 people in Toronto, Canada, alongside Somalian superstar K'Naan and at the Freedom Awards in Los Angeles with pop sensation Jason Mraz.

He has performed at the prestigious Hollywood Bowl with the legendary Stevie Wonder during a night of "Global Soul" and appeared at France's Les Estivales de la Perriere with Shaggy, Monty Alexander and Diana King, where they joined together on a magical rendition of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry."

Rocky has headlined the Balispirit Festival in Bali, Indonesia twice and received a glowing feature in Rolling Stone Indonesia. He has appeared at Switzerland's renowned Montreaux Jazz Festival, Woodstock Poland, Colours Festival and many more.

In 2012, Dawuni was appointed the Tourism and Cultural Ambassador of Ghana and World Ambassador for the Musicians Union of Ghana.

Dawuni's sixth album, "Branches of the Same Tree, was released worldwide on March 31st, 2015 by the Cumbancha record label and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy for "Best Reggae Album" at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards 2016. "Branches" continues to bring him an even wider international audience.

Rocky released a Ghana-focused EP, "Voice of Bunbon, Vol 1." This E.P. was nominated for "Best Global Music Album" at the 2022 GRAMMY Awards. The most recent video for the classic Palmwine Highlife song "Woara," which means "you or it's you," is sung in the local Akan dialect of Twi. It is a love song that uses its call-and-response style to express the beauty and triumph of being in love.

Rocky Dawuni is a singer, songwriter, producer and activist whose unique "Afro Roots" sound straddles the boundaries between Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S.

Today, Dawuni is a household name in Ghana and is widely considered one of Africa's most recognized international stars.

SB/OGB