Charles Kofi Amankwaa Mann (1936 – March 20, 2018), known as C. K. Mann, was a

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

highlife Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasse ...

musician and producer. His music career spanned over four decades; he won multiple awards for his songs. He was awarded the

Grand Medal There are four orders in Ghana: Order of the Star of Ghana, Order of the Volta, Medal for Gallantry and Grand Medal. These were instituted in 1960 as a replacement for the British honours system that was conferred under the Gold Coast and the Dom ...

of Ghana by

John Agyekum Kufour John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the tenth president of Ghana from 2001 to 2009. He was the fifth chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008 and his victory over John Atta Mills at t ...

in 2006.

Life and career

C. K. Mann was born in 1936 in

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, Ghana. It is located about from Sekondi-Takoradi and approximately from Ac ...

in the Central Region of Ghana. He worked briefly as a seaman before joining Moses Kweku Oppong's Kakaiku band. After familiarizing himself with the Ghanaian music scene, he joined Ocean Strings and led the band until 1965. When the band was disbanded, he joined a newly formed band in

Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi ( ) is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city as well as ...

, The Carousel 7. He came to prominence in 1969 when he released his single "''Edina Benya''". It was he who impressed on the band's owner, Anis Mubarak, to sign Paapa Yankson to the group. Mann added Western musical instruments to ''Osode'', the traditional music of Ghanaian fishermen rhythms. Mann died at the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GHAPOHA) hospital in Takoradi on March 20, 2018, after an unspecified disease intensified the previous December.

Discography

Mann had several hit songs, including "Adwoa Yankey", "Asafo beesuon", "Obaa yaa aye me bone", "Kolomashie", "Dofo bi akyerew me", "Ankwasema dede", "Okwan tsentsen awar", "Aboa akonkoran", "Beebi a odo wo", "Tsie m'afotusem", "Ebusua ape adze aye me", "Yebeyi wo aye", and "Do me ma mondo wo bi". His last album, ''Wope Nye Ho'' was produced by West Gold Music Studio in Takoradi and released in 2013.

Recognition

In 2006, Mann was awarded the

of Ghana during the 2006 National Honours and Awards Ceremony by President

in recognition of his contribution to Ghanaian music. He was among the first recipients of this award after the ceremony was revamped in 2006. A street in

Anaji Anaji is a town in the Western region of Ghana. It is 10 kilometres from the centre of Takoradi, the Western regional capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capita ...

(a suburb of

) has been named after Mann.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, C, K, 1936 births 2018 deaths Ghanaian highlife musicians People from Central Region (Ghana) Ghanaian record producers

Life and career

Discography

Recognition

See also

References