Ghana mourns highlife maestro George Darko

The demise of the accomplished singer-songwriter and guitarist, most popular between the ’70s and ’90s, was confirmed by Accra-based Hitz 103. 9 FM on Wednesday morning, although the cause of death is not yet known.

News of Darko’s death arrives as the country is mourning another highlife veteran KK Kabobo, who died aged 64 after a battle with liver disease.

Hailing from Akropong in the Eastern Region of Ghana, Darko is often cited as the king of burger-highlife, the sub-genre that fuses folk sounds with electronic and other influences like funk and soul, and pioneered by Ghanaian immigrants in Germany during the ’70s and ’80s. Darko’s contemporaries include Lee Dodou, the Lumba Brothers, Rex Gyamfi, and Charles Amoah.

Darko’s musical journey began with drumming as a boy, but a teacher’s handmade guitar sparked his fascination with string instruments, also drawing from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix.  Later, he settled in Germany, co-founding the Bus Stop Band in 1982 and going solo following the group’s dissolution in 1988.

To many, Darko was best known for composing classic singles like ‘Akoo Te Brofo’, ‘Moni Palava’ and ‘Odo Colour’. His albums include Friends (1983), Highlife Time (1983), Moni Palava (1986), Soronko (1988), Highlife in the Air (1994) and Come to Africa (2006).

In 1991, he was appointed paramount chief of Akropong-Akuapem, assuming the title Nana Yaw Ampem Darko, and in 2020, was presented with the Lifetime Award at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards for his contribution to highlife.