DADDY LUMBA IS 56 YEARS TODAY
Today marks exactly the 56th birthday of popular Ghanaian Hilife musician Charles Kwadwo Fosu popular known as Daddy Lumba.
Lumba was born Charles Kwadwo Fosu
on the 29th of September 1964 in a village called Nsuta Amangoase in the
Sekyere Central District, near Mampong in Ashanti region.
Daddy Lumba is a multiple
award-winning Ghanaian musician with a career spanning three decades with
albulms like Awoso, Playboy, Poison, Enko Den, Tokrom and many more.
His father, Owoahene Kwadwo
Fosu, a teacher, died when Daddy Lumba was only a child. His mother, Comfort
Gyamfi, popularly known as Ama Saah, was also a teacher. She died in 2001 in
Kumasi. Her death was a devastating blow to Lumba as she was literally
everything to him. Many of Daddy Lumba's songs, including ‘Anidasoɔ Wɔhɔ Ma
Obiara’, ‘Ohia Asɛm’, Ɛmmere Pa Bɛba’, ‘Agya Bi Wua Agya Bi Tease’ were
dedicated to her.
He is married with ten
children.
Daddy Lumba's music
career started at the age of 16. He was the leader of Juaben Senior High School choir from
1983 to 1984 academic year where Christabel was the music teacher and he
completed in 1985. In Juaben SHS, Lumba formed the Lumba Brothers group with
his friends Yaw and Kwabena and girlfriend, Theresa Abebrese.
After school, with the
help of his girlfriend Theresa, Lumba traveled to Germany to seek greener
pastures.
In Germany, he met
Ernest Nana Acheampong. Nana had already formed a group called talking dreams
with a white man. The only thing Lumba knew at the time was gospel music, and
he has credited Nana Acheampong for introducing him to highlife music.
They formed another
group called Lumba Brothers, the same name as his first group when he was in
Juaben SHS.
The pair planned
releasing an album in 1986 but due to financial constrains, the album was
released in 1989 with the help of Lumba's wife, Akosua Serwaa, who produced the
album. The title of the album is Yɛɛyɛ Aka Akwantuo Mu.
Daddy Lumba, in all, has
released 33 albums. The albums include critically acclaimed ones like Aben
Wɔha, Awosuɔ, Obi Ate Me So Buɔ, Sika Asɛm and Ebi Se Ɛyɛ Aduro.
He is currently gearing
up for his 34th album, titled ‘Nnipa Fon Na Ɛka Nsɛm Fon’.
He has been consistent
with the release of multiple-hit albums since then and has established himself
as one of Ghana's most popular singers of the Highlife genre.
He introduced a future
love song master, Ofori Amponsah, through his blockbuster hit album Woho
Kyere (1999). Daddy Lumba's pairing in 1999 with the rising star
produced five hits and shot Ofori Amponsah into the limelight. Altogether he
has sprung the careers of 13 different Ghanaian musicians.
In 1999, he won three
awards including Best Album, Artist of the Year and the Most popular Song of
the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. Before the year 2002, Daddy Lumba came out
every year with a hit album.
His solo career has not
been devoid of controversy; one moment he would release a gospel album and the
next he would shock people with his provocative lyrics and music videos. He has
also faced accusations of skin bleaching. He has however denied bleaching his skin.
He owns his own studio
where he does all his work and also owns machines for mastering, cassette
duplication, loading, printing and shrink wrapping exclusively for his works.
His music has evolved over the years to reflect the changes in taste and
demands for music; he can currently be described as a contemporary highlife
artist. Daddy Lumba has won several Ghana Music Awards and other excellence
awards and continue to appeal to the young and old
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