Mike Eghan (14 March 1936 – 5 June 2025) was a Ghanaian broadcaster, also known as "The Magnificent Emperor". In a career as a disc jockey and radio presenter spanning six decades, Eghan hosted programmes for the

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was established by law in 1968 with a triple mandate as a State Broadcaster, Public Service Broadcaster, and a Commercial Broadcaster in Ghana. Headquartered in the capital city, Accra, GBC is funded by g ...

(GBC) and for the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

in London. He was the master of ceremonies for the historic concert in Ghana '' Soul to Soul'', which took place in

Black Star Square Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square, is a public square in Accra, Ghana, bordered by the Accra Sports Stadium and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The square often hosts the annual independence celebrations as well as other natio ...

in 1971 and showcased many prominent African-American artists alongside Ghanaian musicians.Kweku Antwi-Otoo
"Mike Eghan Launches The Emperor’s Story"
3news.com, via ''Modern Ghana'', 28 August 2019. Eghan's autobiography, ''The "Emperor's" Story – From the Centre of the World'', was published in 2019."Veteran broadcaster Mike Eghan launches autobiography"
''My Joy Online'', 29 August 2019. In the words of

Anis Haffar Anis Haffar is a Ghanaian educationist, teacher, columnist and author. He is the founder of the GATE institute in Ghana,Magdalene Teiko Larnyoh"Profile of Anis Haffar" ''Pulse (Ghana)'', 20 August 2018. and is a council member of the Ghana Educat ...

: "The man's kaleidoscopic knowledge of show business, broadcasting, entertainment and politics is cast in the trenches of personal encounters. He shares history from the strategic standpoint of his own roles in the making of it."

Biography

Born on 14 March 1936 in

Sekondi-Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi ( ) is a city in Ghana comprising the Twin cities (geographical proximity), twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Weste ...

, Gold Coast (present-day Ghana), the fifth of nine siblings, Eghan was inspired by his civil servant father Ben Eghan's passion for radio to join the

(GBC) in 1961, after giving up a job with

Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services ...

that had been secured for him. In 1965, he went to Britain, where he worked with the BBC Africa Service, hosting the programme ''Music with African Beat'' for four years.I Quit BBC Because Of My Son'"
Ghana MMA, 11 March 2011. Photographs of Eghan taken during this time feature among the iconic work of veteran Ghanaian photographer

James Barnor James Barnor Hon. FRPS, OV (born 6 June 1929) is a Ghanaian photographer who has been based in London since the 1990s. His career spans six decades, and although for much of that period his work was not widely known, it has latterly been disco ...

. Leaving the BBC, Eghan returned home to work with GBC, wanting to contribute to the development of Ghana and raise his children there. He said: "One of the highlights of my career as a disc jockey and radio presenter was my role as emcee (master of ceremony) for the historic musical concert dubbed ' Soul to Soul'. The aim of this musical extravaganza was to bring Africans and African-American artistes together to jam on the African continent to retrace their historical roots. It was believed that such an attempt would galvanise Black people all over the world along with the vision that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah had for the Black Race." High-profile soul, gospel and dance groups participated in ''Soul to Soul'', which took place in Black Star Square (now Independence Square), including

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

Ike and Tina Turner Ike or IKE may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ike (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Ike (surname), a list of people * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of ...

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (September 23, 1935 – December 29, 2023) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He is known for his innovations in soul jazz and his Swiss Movement, 1969 recording of the protest song "Compared to What". His music ha ...

Eddie Harris Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-k ...

The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American Gospel music, gospel, soul music, soul, and Rhythm and blues, R&B singing group. Pops Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group w ...

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

Willie Bobo William Correa (February 28, 1934 – September 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Willie Bobo, was an American Latin jazz percussionist and jazz drummer of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Latino m ...

, the

Voices of East Harlem The Voices of East Harlem was an African-American vocal ensemble of up to 20 singers, aged between 12 and 21. Founded as a community initiative in 1969, the group performed with top soul and R&B musicians and recorded four albums in the early ...

, and others. Eghan's popular 1970s talk show, ''The Mike Eghan Show'', featured guests including

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba ( , ; 4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, ja ...

Ephraim Amu Ephraim Kɔku Amu (13 September 1899 – 2 January 1995) was a Ghanaian composer, musicologist and teacher. He was a mentor to the musicologist J. H. Kwabena Nketia. Biography Early life and education He was born on 13 September 1899 at Peki-A ...

and Captain J. H. Tachie-Menson. Eghan subsequently took employment as a Treatment Manager with the

Volta River Authority The Volta River Authority (VRA) is the main generator and supplier of electricity in Ghana. They are also responsible for the maintenance of the hydro power supply plant. Establishment The VRA was established by the Volta River Development Act, ...

, then had another stint of work in the UK with the BBC. Back in Ghana, he resumed work with GBC, and later ran the Sundown Hotel. He launched his memoir, ''The "Emperor's" Story – From the Centre of the World'', at the age of 83 in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) 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, , had a population of ...

in August 2019 at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

Institute of African Studies The Institute of African Studies, on the Anne Jiagee Road on the campus of the University of Ghana at Legon, is an interdisciplinary research institute in the humanities and social sciences. It was established by President Kwame Nkrumah in 1962 to ...

, the occasion presided over by Professor

Esi Sutherland-Addy Esi Sutherland-Addy is a Ghanaian academic, writer, educationalist, and human rights activist. She is a professor at the Institute of African Studies, where she has been senior research fellow, head of the Language, Literature, and Drama Section ...

. Eghan died on 5 June 2025, at the age of 89. A tribute by

Cameron Duodu Martin Cameron Duodu (born 24 May 1937)''Africa Who's Who'', London: Africa Journal for Africa Books Ltd, 1981, pp. 349–50. is a United Kingdom-based Ghanaian novelist, journalist, editor and broadcaster. After publishing a novel, ''The Gab Boy ...

described Eghan as "bonhomie personified" with an "unerring professional eye".

Awards and recognition

's iconic photograph "Mike Eghan at Piccadilly Circus, London" featured on the cover of the catalogue for the 2012

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...

exhibition ''Another London: International Photographers Capture London Life 1930–1980''; a copy of the photograph is also held in the UK government art collection at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

. Eghan and Barnor meeting was reimagined in a play entitled ''DRUM'', by Jacob Roberts-Mensah, which was staged at The Omnibus Theatre in

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

, south London, in September 2022. A documentary film in honour of Eghan, produced by Andrew Gyawu-Mensah, was screened in March 2017."My show is a replica of the Mike Eghan show – KSM"
''GhanaWeb'', 27 March 2017. Eghan's awards included 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 ...

in acknowledgement of his meritorious service in the media."Mike Eghan to relaunch talk show on ETV Ghana"
''Modern Ghana'', 11 March 2011.

References

External links

"Mike Eghan, Piccadilly Circus"
1967 photograph by

. V&A Collections.
"Mike Eghan at the BBC Studios, London"
1967 photograph by James Barnor. ArtBlart.
"Mike Eghan – Personality Profile Friday on Joy News (12-9-14)"
MyJoyOnline TV.
"Personality Chat with Ace Broadcaster Mike Eghan On Live Chat With Paul"
etv Ghana, 2 September 2019.
"Footprints with the former Broadcaster Mike Eghan on Citi TV"
CitiTube, 18 November 2019. *
"Footprints with the former Broadcaster Mike Eghan (Part 2) on Citi TV"
23 November 2019.
"Radio gave me fame, not wealth – Mike Eghan"
''Joy Online'', 11 August 2021.
"Mike Eghan on Y Leaderboard Series: The Journey of radio's 'Magnificent Emperor
''The Business & Financial Times'', 15 August 2021.
"Mike Eghan: The Journey of a 'Magnificent Radio Emperor
Y1079FM Accra, via YouTube.
"Meet Mike Eghan, the veteran Ghanaian broadcaster who dazzled on BBC and GBC"
''GhanaWeb'', 26 September 2021. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eghan, Mike 1936 births 2025 deaths 21st-century memoirists BBC radio presenters Ghanaian broadcasters Ghanaian radio presenters People from Sekondi-Takoradi Talk radio hosts