George Darko marks 60th birthday with album launch

Ace musician and king of Burger Highlife, Nana Ampem Darko, known in showbiz circles as George Darko, will on April 29 launch his very latest Lucky Star album at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra.

The album launch, which falls on the date George will be celebrating his 60th birthday, is expected to bring together a host of other legendary highlife musicians.

The King of Burger highlife will perform some of his tunes as well as a selection of tracks off the Lucky Star album, which is currently receiving heavy rotations on urban radio.

George's handlers, Mirror Image Promotions, are optimistic that his album launch will pass the test and also prove why he is undoubtedly one of the finest musicians Ghana has ever produced.

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 chieftain role.