Dan Amakye Dede (born 5 January 1958) is a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian musician. He is one of Ghana's premier

high-life Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and weste ...

artists popularly referred to as "Iron Boy", "the high-life maestro" and "Abrantie" (). Amakye Dede was born in Agogo, Asante Akim. He attended Agogo Roman School. He is best known for classic songs such as: "Jealousy go shame", "Dabi Dabi Ebeye Yie", "Akwadaa Wesoa", and "Iron Boy." On 2 January 2016, he was involved in an accident that killed his manager and seriously injured his bodyguard. Amakye Dede was installed as a sub-Chief at Agogo in the Asante Akim traditional area.

Career

Dede began his career in 1973 when he joined the Kumapim Royals as a composer and vocalist. This band, led by Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (AAA), had hits such as "Abebi Bewua Eso", "Wanware Me A", "Odo Mani Agyina", and the seminal "Ohohoo Batani". Dede moved to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, where he had his hit "Jealousy go shame". He then formed his own band, the Apollo High Kings, in 1980. He dominated the high-life scene in the 1980s and 1990s and has continued to have hit songs in the 21st century. He has headlined so many concerts locally and internationally. He made almost 20 albums. In his later career, he experimented with different genres: soca, calypso, lovers rock and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

. He owns a popular bar in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

called Abrantee Spot, where he and other high-life musicians regularly play live-band music. His popular songs include "Handkerchief", "Seniwa", "Brebrebe yi", "Mensuro", "Mabre", "Broken Promises", "Nsuo Amuna", "Sokoo na mmaa pe", "Kose kose", "Dabi dabi", "Mefre wo", "Okyena sesei", "Odo nfonii", "Nka akyi", "M'ani agyina", "To be a man na war", and "Iron Boy".

References

Living people Ghanaian highlife musicians 1958 births {{Ghana-bio-stub