Musical Pastor Goes Blasting

Reverend Opoku Amponsah, the General Overseer of the Royal Steps to Christ Worship Centre in Accra, has launched his second album titled ?Ye be twi afa mo so? at the Word Miracle Church, Circle branch.

The eight-track album is a mixture of hilife and reggae rhythms and was re-launched at the Cape Coast Action Faith Church, recently.

In a chat with ?Spectator Arts?, the Reverend minister said he was born into a family of musicians fifty ?seven years. Infact, Reverend Amponsah had his early tutorials in music from his elder brother, the renowned Ghanaian ethno musicologist and traditional guitarist, Agya Koo Nimo.

His father, the late Paul Kwame Amponsah was a prolific guitarist and an ace trumpeter with the Kumasi Manhyia  Brass Band who hailed from Toase in the Antwima District of Ashanti.

Reverend Opoku Amponsah is hopeful that his latest release would be more successful than his first album titled, ?Maranatha? which was released in 1992.

A former soldier who featured for the Arakans Dance Band of the second Battalion at Apremodo in Takoradi, under the leadership, the band metamorphosed into the famous MAG2 which was then the most popular dance band in Ghana from 1978 to 1980.

The band excelled in the Middle East as the best Ghanaian army band ever to be sent there. Prior to that, Reverend Amponsah took up secular music singing with the Boom Talents of the late 1970s as well as being their lead guitarist after failing to continue his advance level education due to a protected illness.

He later joined Kofi Ani Johnson?s Parrots Band as a vocalist cum guitarist featuring on such popular recordings as ?Nawoee?, ?Madesoa muaye dru?, ?Me man Ghana? and ?Madamfo Pa?.

After leaving the army, Amponsah became the first militia commander of the Eastern Region base in Akim Oda. He later left the ?revolution? and joined the Ahanfo Band led by A.B. Crentsil. It was during a long trek with the band on the Dankwa-Kumasi road that Amponsah met Jesus. He has looked back scene.

Reverend Amponsah has noted with concern how the current gospel industry is dominated by female singers thereby overshadowing their male counterparts. He believes the producers, following market trends, give them in prominence.

He believes his album will herald a return to reveal the hard working male musicians working for the body of Christ.