In Ghana, a funeral, wedding or party that plays highlife for long enough will eventually reach Amakye Dede. When “Kose Kose” starts, older guests rise from their chairs.
Amakye Dede, known as Iron Boy, is one of the most successful highlife musicians Ghana has produced. He dominated the scene in the 1980s and 1990s and has continued to release hits since.
Early years
Amakye Dede was born on 5 January 1958. He began performing young and worked with other bands before forming his own group, the Apollo High Kings, in 1980.
Abroad and home
Like many Ghanaian musicians in the early 1980s, Amakye Dede spent time working outside Ghana, when the economic crisis and a curfew made it hard for musicians to earn a living at home. He returned to Ghana in 1987.
Kose Kose
With the help of A.K. Brobbey, “Kose Kose” was released in 1987 and became one of his first big anthems. Its guitar lines and chorus made it a favourite at parties and on radio, and it is still widely played.
The hits
Amakye Dede’s best-known songs include “Iron Boy”, “Jealousy Go Shame”, “Dabi Dabi Ebeye Yie” and “Akwadaa Wesoa”. His songs deal with love, jealousy, hope, family and faith, sung in Twi with memorable melodies.
Iron Boy
The nickname Iron Boy came from his song of the same name and stuck as part of his identity. Fans also call him Abrantie, a Twi word for a young gentleman.
The sound
Amakye Dede’s music belongs to the guitar-band tradition of highlife, with bright electric guitars, steady bass and drums, and call-and-response vocals. It is dance music, but with lyrics that older listeners value for their wisdom.
Staying power
Many highlife stars of the 1980s faded as hiplife and later Afrobeats took over. Amakye Dede kept performing and recording, and he remains in demand for concerts, funerals and weddings. Younger artists have collaborated with him and covered his songs.
Recognition
He has received many awards and honours in Ghana, and he is often named among the country’s greatest highlife musicians.
The song at the end of the night
At many Ghanaian parties, the DJ saves the old highlife for late in the evening, when the younger guests have left. That is when “Kose Kose” plays, and the dance floor fills with people who first heard it in 1987.
