Yaw Amponsah and Koo Nimo

Daniel Amponsah, known as Koo Nimo, is a leading folk musician of Palm wine music or Highlife music from Ghana. He was born on October 3rd, 1934, in the village of Foase, in the Atwima District of Ashanti in West Africa. He worked in various jobs in science and medical-related field while maintaining his interest in music. In 1957, when the former British colony of the Gold Coast became the independent country of Ghana, Koo Nimo first received national acclaim through the formation of the Addadam Agofomma ensemble. Many of his songs tell traditional stories and are sung in the language Twi. Traditional instruments of West Africa, such as Djembe and the Talking drum, rhumba box, Axatse (hollow gourd rattle with beads or seeds woven around it on a net), and Gankogui (consists of two iron bells providing the key, rhythmic pattern). Palm-wine music (known as maringa in Sierra Leone) is a West African musical genre. ... Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana and Sierra Leone in the 1920s and spread to other West African countries. ... For other uses, see Ashanti (disambiguation). ... Twi (pronounced chwee ) is a language spoken in Ghana by about 7 million people. ... A mass-produced djembe (Acousticon shell) A basic student djembe A Djembe (pronounced JEM-bay) also known as djimbe, jenbe, jembe, yembe or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin covered hand drum, shaped like a large goblet, and meant to be played with bare hands. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ...

In 1979, in recognition of his services to Ghanaian music as performer, teacher and administrator, Koo Nimo was elected President of MUSIGA (the Musicians' Union of Ghana). His countrymen appreciated not only his music, but his love of and respect for tradition. In 1985 Koo Nimo was appointed interim chairman of COSGA, the Copyright Society of Ghana, More recently he has been made an honorary life member of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, along with such distinguished names as Professor J.H.K. Nketia and John Collins. In 1990, eight of Koo's songs were released as a compact disk entitled Osabarima. This was the first work by a Ghanaian artist to be put on CD. In the words of High Fidelity Magazine (September 1990, 103). In February 1991, in recognition of his services to music and to his country, Koo received the prestigious Asanteman award from the Asantehene. In March, he received the Flag Star award from ECRAG (Entertainment Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana). In 1991, he was invited to serve on the National Folklore Board of Trustees. In January, 1992, at Columbia University, New York, USA, Andrew L. Kaye presented his dissertation entitled Koo Nimo and his circle: A Ghanaian Musician in Ethnomusicological Perspective and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree for his work. In March 1997, the Ghana government celebrated the fortieth anniversary of independence by awarding gold medals to forty of its distinguished citizens, one of whom was Koo Nimo. This was in recognition of his efforts to preserve traditional culture. In the next month he received the Konkoma Award for his contribution to Ghanaian Highlife Music. The Asantehene is the ruler of the Ashanti people. ...

In 2000, Koo was employed as a Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, for two years before taking a similar position at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As of 2006, Koo Nimo moved back to Ghana and is currently living Kumasi. Ethnomusicology (from the Greek ethnos = nation and mousike = music), formerly comparative musicology, is the study of music in its cultural context, cultural musicology. ... Kumasi is the capital city of the Ashanti region of Ghana. ...

Discography

• Ashanti Ballads (1968)
• OSABARIMA (1990, re-issued 2000)
• TETE WOBI KA (2000)