Desmond Lamptey: There’s no problem with country music in Ghana

“It’s massive,” he said during a recent interview with Music In Africa. “It’s so serious that it beat my imagination. Ghanaian people have come to love country music like crazy. There are some listeners who are even deeper than me. This tells you how crazy people are when it comes to country music in Ghana.”

In fact, Lamptey, who also lectures at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, disagrees with the perception that there’s an issue with people listening to country in Ghana. “I don’t think there’s a problem with country music in Ghana. The only issue is that it’s not Ghanaian, so some people find it difficult to accept it, but you see, music is universal, it crosses boundaries. It’s a universal language, just like a smile.”

He makes a valid point. Fans of the genre will tell you that it is a powerful conveyor of stories that apply to virtually every situation. It's why, in Lamptey’s observation, the likes of Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers and Don Williams are as relevant in the West African country as they are in the US. “No matter your situation, there’s a song or songs to help you go through it,” Lamptey says.

Lamptey also responds to the alias 'The Smooth Operator' and says that his love for radio goes as far back as 1995. On his professional inspirations, he cites veteran presenter Tommy Annan-Forson, known to Ghanaians as 'The King of Country Music' and 'The Godfather of Radio'. "I draw a lot of inspiration from him and how he plays,” Lamptey says, adding that his affinity for the honky-tonk sub-genre is heavily influenced by Annan-Forson.

Lamptey also credits his parents for his career. His dad, a footballer, was a constant traveller and always returned home with of LPs and cassettes. Whenever Lamptey Snr played music in the house, his son listened quietly, training his ear to distinguish great sounds. Over his impressive career, which currently finds him at the Accra-based Class 91.3 FM, he has played music of all genres, but settled on country because he wanted to stand out. “I knew the road would be a lonely one but I still wanted to be different.”

On what the future looks like for the genre, Lamptey foresees an even bigger audience in the coming years. "It's still growing and can be very popular with time. The rate at which people are loving the genre, it’s mind-blowing, and it transcends demographics”. Local acts like Brother Korley, Nii Adotey, Daniel Afranie, Douglas Mensah and One Stone Aduguz are enjoying some success with the genre, and Lamptey envisions bigger milestones for them soon. This includes recognition at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.

For this to happen, the media must pay more attention to music styles other than hip hop and Afrobeats. “The media does a lot of positive stuff including the promotion of music. Aside from Class FM, local stations like Radio XYZ, Uniiq FM, Radio BAR, Space FM and Radio Lynk also play country music. But more can be done. If radio stations pay attention to the genre and add it to their music format, it will go a long way to making the genre more popular. Country music is a genre that Ghana began to accept many years ago. It will grow in popularity with time,” Lamptey says.