GEORGE DARKO’S LUCKY STAR ROCKS GOLDEN TULIP
Ace musician and King of Burger Highlife, Nana Ampem Darko, known in showbiz circles as George Darko, over the weekend celebrated his 60th birthday in class with the launch of his very latest Lucky Star album at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra.
The album launch brought together a host of other legendary and new generation highlife musicians including Felix Owusu, Bessa Simmons, Paulina Oduro, Kwabena Kwabena, Quame Zaggy and Efya.
The event was attended by high profile personalities including the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo, Gabb Otchere Darko, Kwame Akuffo and Nana Akomeah among others.
The Golden Tulip Hotel came alive as George Darko, backed by his Jazz Kings Band dished out songs from his old collection as well as the very latest one Lucky Star.
George's Manager Kaicy Boakye Nhyira said: “The event presented us with yet with a unique opportunity to tell the Geaorge Darko story after sixty years and I believe we did just that”.
Born in 1951 at Akropong in the Eastern Region, George Darko is credited with the introduction in the 1980s of Burger-highlife, a variation of West Africa's popular genre, with his first hit Ako te brofo.
He was educated at the Presbyterian School at Akropong. After playing for an army band in the Middle East, Darko returned to Ghana and formed the Golden Stool Band. In the late 1970s the band moved to Germany, where he went solo and formed the Bus Stop band in 1982.
He returned to Akropong in 1988, where he was made Tufuhene of Akropong-Akuapim in 1991 with the stool name, Nana Yaw Ampem Darko and has since been combining his musical career with chieftaincy roles.