The
day will also see the scheme present a set of new honors dubbed “VGMA
TITAN AWARDS. These honors will go to four distinguished industry
stalwarts with the aim of recognizing their pivotal roles in growing
music in Ghana. Meet the four awardees;
SIDIKU BUARI - For Meritorious service to the Ghana music industry as an ADMINISTRATOR
In
1980, Together with Ghanaba, Joe Mensah, Fiasal Helwani, Nana Kwame
Ampadu, and others, he re-established the Musician Union we have today.
He facilitated the Union’s movement to the old Passport office,
organized regional congresses, produced corporate music to campaign for
peaceful elections, lobbied for exemption of taxes on musical
instruments for musicians, training for musicians to play live music and
chaired the collective Management organization of Ghana, facilitating
the building of its first office.
During his lifetime as a
Musician, he carried out several music industry administrative roles as
Former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (Musiga) Chairman of
the Copyright Society of Ghana (Cosga) now Ghana Music Rights owners
Organization (Ghamro) and Vice President of International Federation of
Musicians (FIM).
PROFESSOR JOHN COLLINS - For Meritorious service to the Ghana Music Industry as a MUSICOLOGIST
As
one of Ghana’s most prolific Musicologists and composers, he chronicled
most of our highlife music across the decades. He also served as a
Musiga Executive in the 1970’s , now a Patron of Musiga and are an
honorary life-member of the International Association for the Study of
Popular Music (IASPM) in Ghana together with Professor J.H.K. Nketia and
Egya Koo Nimo, our popular folk guitarist.
He served on the
Ghana National Folklore Board of Trustees and Copyright Administration
for seven years and are currently the acting Chairman of the Bokoor
African Popular Music Archives Foundation (BAPMAF), currently donating
some of its digitized holdings to the J.H.K Nketia Archives of the
Institute of African Studies.
Kenneth Kwaku Avotri Kafui – For Meritorious service to the Ghana Music Industry as a MUSIC EDUCATOR
Ken
Kafui was a Ghanaian composer. He was a lecturer in music theory and
composition at the music department of the University of Ghana, Legon.
He composed choral works, works for choir and orchestra, symphonic
works, piano and organ works, and works for traditional African
instruments. He created new concepts and genres in African art music
such as the Pentanata, the HD-3 form and Drumnata. He holds a Diploma in
African Music and a Master's degree in music.
He also composed
for the orchestra of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation during the late
1970s. Kenneth was also a music tutor and the conductor of the Aggrey
Memorial Chapel Choir at Achimota School before he moved on to the
University of Ghana.
BIG BEN MUSIC PRODUCTION - For Meritorious service to the Ghana Music Industry as an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER and MUSIC DISTRIBUTOR
Big
Ben Music Production is a production outfit in Ghana. A gospel label,
it is run by Benjamin and Theresa Mensah, and some point had the
following artistes Monica Konadu, K.K. Fosu, Vine Praises, Ofori
Amponsah, Kofi Nti, Sandra Oduro, Christiana Love, Lady Prempeh, and
Ohemaa Mercy. The outfit is credited as helping the Ghana music industry
grow. He became one of Ghana’s top Music Executive Producers and
Distributors of repute in Ghana, producing and distributing music for
artistes such as Christiana love (Obaapa Christy), Ofori Amponsah,
A-plus, Ohemaa Mercy, Kofi Nti, the late Daasebre Dwamena, Obrafour,
and many others.
He was also the major music distributor for
several of the top Industry artistes such as Batman Samini, Tic-Tac,
4x4, Daddy Lumba, Reggie Rockstone and many others.
His role as
an investor in the production of music from the 80s across the decades
till 2005 enabled many talented musicians get heard and were able to
derive commercial gain from their talent.
The VGMA MUSIC SUMMIT
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