For four years, the man known variously as “Driver Banza” and “Sradenam’, has been in hibernation. But it has not been four years of idling. In the laboratory of his musical brains, great works were being incubated.
Today, George Jahraa can say that he is ready to take on the world. He has released a 10- song album on CD which he titles, “Dedeedee”, though fans think that what will make the release a hit is the track titled “Article 419″.
Asked why it took him so long to come out with a new album, he said “I don’t believe in coming out with just any album. What is important is that the songs must hit the market and make a dent on the minds of not only music buyers but the whole country – from big men to the small.
The title song of his new album, for example, touches on the bad side of instant justice. The song talks about how a suspect was arrested by police, severely beaten put before a law court which jailed him without questioning the police why the suspect was bleeding from his nose and mouth.
George Jahraa became very popular when he released his first album “Driver Banza” in 1990. It was a hit album with six tracks including and “Sanukade.”
In 1993 he again shook the music scene when his second album, “Awaree-nika-boka” came off the CD presses. Another song on the album which caught the imagination of the population was “Barka-da Salla”. Around 1999 he released Alanga-Adjoa which contained eight songs went low for some time and in 2004 re-emerged with Asekele which was also a hit.
George Jahraa (stage name) was born in Tamale the 1960s and named Kwame Ekumfi-Ameyaw. He schooled at Aburi in the Eastern Region, continued and Navrongo Secondary School where he obtained his GCE ‘O’ Level. He did his Sixth Form at the Dormaa Ahenkro Secondary School in the Brong-Ahafo Region.
George Jahraa after Sixth Form did his national service at the Garrison Educational Unit in Kumasi before entering into the music field.
Asked how he got into music, he said while in Primary School, I came into contact with George Darko very first class guitarist and Adomako Nyamekye a very good singer whose performance aroused my interest in music. Then after my national service, I fell in the hands of Apostle (Dr) Kwadwo Safo, head and founder of Kristo Asafo Mission.
Apostle Safo who is a very good musician in front very good composer, enlisted me into his church band and that was where and how I begun learning music as a career.
Touching on the music industry George was not happy with the way musicians are paid their royalties. He also criticized the mode of selecting musician for awards.
“For instance, a musician in 2001 sold over 700,000 copies the highest that year, and yet was not even nominated for any award. How come? What were the criteria used” he asked.
