Homeward Bound: The Life & Times of Terry Bonchaka

The Late Terry Bonchaka If any one person could claim responsibility for his independent spirit and strive to stay in music, it was his mom. But if any persons for his talent, get a pen, start listing: his father (Robert Adjetey), his father?s father, his father?s mother, his mother (Charlotte Adjetey), his mother?s mother, his mother?s mother, his mother?s sisters, and until the family tree weathers, the talent never ceases. Plus, if you don?t mind a comic relief: do you know his Uncle Speaker of parliament Honourable Peter Ala-Adjetey was deep into music? ?I was born into a life of entertainment people? Terry, 21, once told me. For close to 14 days after his death, I have has being going in, in and in to re-visit Terry Adjetey and Terry Bonchaka?s short but interesting dynasty.

In the midst of his success and rapidly growing fan base, death struck unexpectedly. At about 1:00am on Friday October 31, 2003 he was pronounced death at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, about an hour after he had performed at the University of Ghana?s Akuafo Hall Week celebration. He was in his 1970s American spec 2-sitter MGB convertible with a friend Emmanuel Yeboah aka Rasta while his other team members, Ziggy, Aaron and close partner-on-stage Ayisoba followed them in a hired taxi cab. Eye witnesses confirmed that moving from the show, Rasta was seen driving but Terry had to take over from him just about 400 meters from take off (unconfirmed report: on learning that Rasta was a bit tipsy).

While it has been reported that Terry?s death was linked to careless driving- trying to overtake two cars within a very short distance and in the process his car veered off the road and smashed into a tree - his family and friends believe otherwise. As a result, a number of conspiracy theories attempting to explain what actually caused his death exist. For the motion, one says ?Rasta was drunk and Terry didn?t want to take the risk so made sure he was the person in control of the wheels?. Against the motion another responds: ?But wasn?t that decision more risky knowing so well that he [Terry] wasn?t good at driving??

There are other family members and several of his friends including musicians who are convinced that foul play was at hand.  For the motion, his brother Jerry says: ?I won?t be surprised if we later hear that somebody in the industry used ways-and-means to eliminate him because Terry was shining and was just about to blow and sign a purported international deal?. And a million others support him - so who did the elimination? Against this motion, another says, ?Who benefits personally by eliminating Terry. I thought performers rather go to the spiritual helps for protection and outstanding performances on the stage instead of targeting others?? He was since buried at the La cemetery in Accra at 3:55pm on Saturday November 22, 2003 after a massively attended wake keeping the previous night at the National Trade Fair site.

Terry Adjetey?s father was harshly stopped by his mother, from taking music as his career and that was exactly what Robert Adjetey tried hard but couldn?t do to Terry. ?We were Jehovah Witnesses and considering the problems associated with public performances we all tried to stop Terry from taking music as his career?. Terry?s mum recalls. ?He used to stay out for unusually long hours either attending musical shows or playing football and we were scared he was going to come home one day with problems or bad friends? she says. 

So as they couldn?t allow him to take up football, they managed to allow him to do music but this time around worked closely with him. ?If you can?t beat them, join them? says Terry?s elder brother Jerry, a final year civil Engineering student of the Cape Coast Polytechnic. Terry started by accompanying his mum to sing at the church.

He began rapping/singing as an alternative to making bad friends (or playing football) and hustling because, as his mum puts it ?he couldn?t go to jail for doing it; he could possibly make a good living out of doing music?.

Even at that tender age, he was the perfect kind you would refer to as ?show boy?. ?Terry wasn?t the too-known kind; he was very challenging and extraordinarily talented. He had no single fear whatsoever for crowd? his mum says. And if you are asking of inhibition on camera or on stage, try zero. ?He would do an act or sing in front of many elderly persons and when you asked him to repeat that, he would do it and do it again non hesitantly?, recalls his mum.

Also as a toddler in the mid ?80s, any time you sent him, he would return accompanied by an elderly person holding the item, and that according to his mum signifies ?a sign of leadership?.

Terry?s entire basic and secondary education years were spent at Ewit Greenwich Classical Academy, about 200 meters from their Dansoman residence and Adisadel College in Cape Coast.

Not even the 9-BECE-ones at Ewit could get him his first choice school of St. Augustine?s College. The school authorities after realizing it was an administrative hitch called Terry?s mum once a day for a week to come for a place for Terry. It was too late as his mum had already paid his full fees at Adisco. After Secondary school his mum picked a University of Ghana entry form for Terry but Media Whizz Kids? then newly instituted National Hiplife contest he won in 2001 had to change any dream of education that was left in him. The strings attached to title were damn weighty: an album deal, ten-regional performances tour was just part of his headache. Before his tragic death, plans were far ahead for him to draw down the curtain on music. He would be taking a course, by March 2004, leading to his desire to follow the family dream - litigation. A law school in the UK was being sought.

When Jerry?s Cape Coast Polytechnic colleague - the son of the then headmaster of Adisadel college once invited him to see the performance of Cape Coast?s hottest talent sometime in 1998, Jerry had the shock of his life to learn (at the show) that it was his own brother Terry Bonchaka.
That was his first major show, rubbing shoulder with then giants Obrafour, Tic Tac etc. Jerry played the big brother role - signed business contracts, struck performance negotiations and made sure Terry was in very safe hands. He normally drives him to shows.

But is what we gained as an icon more significant than what we lost as a musician? Give Terry a beat- and he can write (and perform) a song in 15 minutes. Yes, I mean 1-5. During the fresh days of his death, we found well over 120 songs he had written. And that confirms his plans to record not less than 100 songs before he drew that musical curtain down. New and yet-to-be-released, he had already done 34 songs with four of the nation?s coolest engineers- Zapp Mallet (TLC, studios, Kasoa), who recorded his debut, Nana King (Willigina Studios, Dansoman), software-brainy David Kwamena Bolton (D?Kay Bee studios, Dansoman) and Alberto (PSI, Osu).

Though his rise to prominence seems to have happened overnight, Terry has been performing since he was 9. He was the entertainment prefect at Ewit School and had since battled Mcs for contests right from that tiny age, netting lots of wins at the open mics.

At Adisco, Terry was part of a group known as Purple Triangle. They did many shows both on campus and outside school. The latter once landed a chunk of them suspension from school after they had gone to town to perform. Luckily and strangely enough, their leader, Terry wasn?t suspended. He once had a problem with a particular profane song he called ?Ebon Kankan?, referring literally and figuratively to a ?stinky something we all love to consume?. A song he prefers to perform at shows for youthful and vibrantly funky audience. It was one of his performed tracks at the Akuafo Hall Week celebration - the last time he blessed the microphone. It really made the Adisco boys? night.

If there were a hiplife family tree, Terry would still have been independently placed. He will be an offspring to no other artist because he was differently charismatic, extraordinarily funny, lyrically on-point and willing to take chances musically and otherwise. An example was that of controlling the wheels (though not good at driving) on realising his friend Rasta was a bit tipsy ending up in his death.

When his mum got to know that her son was competing in the Central regional contest of the National Hiplife championship, she had to ask for permission from work (Accra Brewery Ltd) to make sure her boy was alright for the show. She got there some few minutes to time for Terry to mount the stage. Terry was dressed in an ?old school? suit and had plaited his hair. His mum?s simple order was enough to make Terry - with his mum?s help, undo his hair, as she felt that his dress code was not appropriate. Terry put if off, don a cap and went on to win the regional championship.

Because of this, among other events, Terry used to tell friends that his mum was his manager. Even when she wasn?t staying with Terry she called him not less than 4 times everyday ?I always call to ask how he was doing and to advice him to take life steady because of the fast pace at which he was getting famous.

But apart from his financial matters, his mum was deeply involved with Terry. How much he got from shows and all that wasn?t much of her worry. ?All he told me was that anytime he did a show he was saving to make sure there was enough money to invest in his music business so we could all enjoy later on?. She recalls.

Not even when a legal battle ensued between Terry and the producer of his album, Kaakyire Music did his mum get involved. And now she doesn?t even know where the matter got to before it was aborted. Terry sometime goes to his Uncle Hon. Peter Ala-Adjetey for advice. But renowned lawyer Larry Adjetey, son of Hon. Peter Ala-Adjetey was the one handling that case.

?I wasn?t staying with Terry. It was 3:30 am when Jerry, Terry?s elder brother came to my house to call Nelvin, his junior brother. I was confused because of the time but he told me they were going to collect their money from a friend. After they had left, I couldn?t sleep again. Minutes later their junior sister, Marilyn kept asking if I wasn?t going to get up and prepare for work. Then Terry?s close friend in the area came in. It was unusual as he came inside and wouldn?t say anything. I asked many questions before he told me that he was fine but Terry wasn?t. ?Accident? Is he hurt?? I asked  him but got no response. Then I realised something serious had happened. He finally told me Terry had died. Hell broke. I wasn?t sure whether to go the 37 Military Hospital - and to which ward? Then I realised what Jerry and Nelvin were hiding away from me. I went to the next house to use their phone but suddenly, my mind went vacant. I couldn?t recall any of the three cellular phone numbers. I later got Jerry?s from Marilyn and when he answered he asked me not to move out but to stay home until they had returned. 15 minutes and they were back. ?Mum, don?t worry, but from now onwards, we are the only two you can call your sons?, Jerry said. I couldn?t control the tears?

After Terry had won the National Hip-life contest, things rather went rough. The album he was entitled to as part of his prize was not forthcoming several months after. Shopping his talent for deals on other labels was as tough as time. And when Media Wids Kids later came up, it was only cash for studio time. Everything promotion was on Terry?s own shoulders. Hustling was the order of the day - considering how difficult it was to promote new artists.

Terry couldn?t pay anything, not even payola (to radio Djs), so, therefore, his music enjoyed very scanty airplay. And this is why his former manager, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Director at Radio Gold, Ambrose Darryl Nmah was really mad at fellow Djs ?for not showing him love when he madly needed it, but were all noises and full of fake sympathy after Terry was gone?.

Terry managed to convince Kaakyire Kwame Appiah of Kaakyire Music Production (KMP) to release his only album on earth - ?Ghana Lady?. KMP did very little in promoting Ghana Lady. By Terry?s own strategy of promoting the album from stage performances, tracks such as the title track and lip-friendly tune ?Puulele? became instant hits.
 
In the studios, most engineers confirm that talented Terry was confident but cautious and quick to seek feedback from them or his management. ?My inputs are always accepted with quick and easy-going smiles? sound engineer Zapp says.

Terry relied on his catch-phrases cum country vernacular cum raw must-be-close-to-the-seashore-to-understand-me street narratives to plant his hooks into our heads. In fact it?s his distinctiveness that made him more recognizable and his tragic death the most heartfelt in the history of our music industry.

Now his unreleased tracks have already found their way in to Djs CD racks and are playing for umpteenth times. Family sources say just after all dusts about his death have settled, they will seek advice from industry brains as to the release of Terry?s posthumous album.

Terry never lacked personal initiative. He was a high risk taker. He wasn?t choosy; he would gather children around and entertain them. That according to Terry?s close pals made him learnt a lot about things that made, even, children happy or tick and he made sure he included them on his songs. So you now know why Terry was the most noticeable among kids under - 10. He never drunk didn?t smoke or womanize and wouldn?t let you drive him when you were even slightly drunk. He never brought girls home. ?Fornication, he always believed must not be added to a showbiz career?.

You never find one person on earth that Terry hated or was enemies with. Maybe, a lot more vice versa.  So, according to Jerry, ?Terry was not supposed to have enemies. Terry didn?t believe in performers going in for spiritual protections?.

?When I was aggrieved and started to cry, Terry was always the first among my children to wipe my tears and assured me that everything was going to be alright? his mum says, sorrowfully, and then?  a long pause as if she wasn?t going to utter any more words. Then very large tears begin to flow. ?So who will be around to eat my food whenever I cook it?? She?s now crying heavily, drawing other family members to our side. I had to put my recorder off and to convince her that all was going to be well.

Terry really loved something about the stage works of Michael Jackson and James Brown very much. He would however correct you before you start thinking about a style transplant from the two. ?Whatever you see me do either on or off stage is completely mine, it has nothing to do with Michael Jackson or James Brown?. This was his popular footnote. ?What I leaned from them was that a performer can do something distinctively creative and no where near what others are doing by way of stage works or general way of presentation?. Terry used to say.

Right from his school days Terry would shorten one half of his school shirt sleeve and one of his shorts. Having realised how good a marketing tool Terry was becoming, local textiles giant, Akosombo Textile Ltd (ATL), a major sponsor of the National Hip-life contest started sponsoring Terry?s outfits. First it was just fabrics and Terry takes up the design courtesy his Dansoman - based designer.

Mr. Edward Addo ATL?s Commercial manager, and Terry?s very close friend, tells me that they were just about to sign a marketing deal with Terry before he died. No doubt ATL was a major sponsor of ?Terry Bonchaka Night?, a Radio Gold organised tribute show hosted at the National Theatre on November 15 in honour of Terry.  ATL has pledged to release a special clothing line in honour of Terry sometime in 2004.
 
If you didn?t see him rolling on stage in a medium size vehicle tyre, expect to see him been rolled in a wheelbarrow. And if you don?t take care to learn where he will be coming from - may jump from the first floor of the National Theatre into the audience - then go for your money. For sure he will not just come from the backstage when he?s announced like others do. He never repeated his style of performance. He went to the Royal House Chapel Church (Ahenfie) - Miss Ahenfie 2003 - in August- to give a sermon and also perform an unreleased gospel track of his.

After all is settled, Jerry will consult with family members and influential people in the industry as to whether to release his posthumous album

Terry is dead, but his name and what he stood for will live on.
 
Major Shows:

National Hip-life Championship 2001
National Hip-life Championship 2002
Nite with the Stars 2 (Nov. 2002)
Music Concert in UK, (Feb-March 2003)
May Day Concert at KNUST, (May, 2003)
Spacefon Legend of Year, Accra & Kumasi (Sept. 2003)
West Africa Xplosion for Aids & Peace (Aki & Poppo)-(Oct. 2003)
Nite with the Stars 3 (Oct. 2003)
Akuafo Hall Hall Week Celebrations (Oct. 2003)

Fast Facts: Terry?s Siblings
Jerry: 25
Melvin: 23
Terry: 21
Marilyn: 17