Jerry Hanson

Jerry Hansen, an optical engineer-turned-musician, one of the originators of the Highlife music, first president of the Musician Union of Ghana (MUSIGHA), member of the Black Beats band and the celebrated bandleader and founder of Ramblers International Band sitting down on a flowerpot with his saxophone on his lap. Circa 1969.

In Ghana, Highlife, from its infancy as music for the urban elites to its heyday as the soundtrack for the liberation movement has remained the bedrock of West African popular culture. The story of this musical genre has survived through generations and different trends to retain its unique identity amidst a host of contemporary influences (Odidi, 2016). One of the major contributors to Highlife`s resilience and popularity is Jerry Hanson who composed high life music that advocated hard work, patriotism and sacrifice for the development of the nation. For example, the popular highlife composition of Jerry Hanson and the Ramblers Dance Band titled: "Work and Happiness" greatly inspired Ghanaian workers to work very hard for the development of the nation. It is an undeniable fact that, one of the happiest Ghanaian dance bands in our musical history is without doubt Jerry Hansen's Ramblers Dance Band. Track after track were straight dance material one cannot resist.

Jerry Hansen (23rd February, 1927 - 7th April, 2012), was one of the originators of Highlife genre, arranger, celebrated bandleader and founder of Ramblers International Band. Jerry, an optical engineer turned musician held the enviable record as the first president of the Musician Union of Ghana (MUSIGHA). Jerry Hansen and his Ramblers International Dance Band were a group who emerged in the early sixties when Ghana was still fresh from the womb of colonialism as an independent infant. Drum Magazine in its 1969 edition contends that Jerry Hansen and The Ramblers was the first indigenous band who "brought back the boogaloo" from London and the United States and lots more.
 
It was Jerry Hansen who gave Nana Kwame Ampadu his musical breakthrough when he referred him to late Joe Eyison aka Station Master of the popular GTV Sunday drama show "Obra", who in turn introduced him to Decca Record label for Nana to record his first song. 

Jerry Hansen was born on 23rd February, 1927, in Asante-Bekwai to an Asante mother, Maame Sekyere and a Ga father, Johnny Hansen. He was giving a baptismal name John William Hansen. Jerry`s father was a Pharmacist who worked with the Ghana Health Service at Asante Bekwai Government Hospital. He had his basic school education at the Seventh Day Adventist School (SDA) at Asante Bekwai,). At was in this school that young Jerry Hensen`s musical curiosity emerged after observing verve and skills his elementary school expatriate-teacher, Pastor Stokes, perform on his accordion.
 
His interest in music started the very day he saw his elementary teacher, Pastor Stoke, performing on his accordion. In his own words Jerry said: "I admired the performance of both the teacher and the instrument as it was not common in my village; however I never got the chance of trying my hands on the instrument although I followed him everywhere he performed (see Ampofo, 2011 cited in Aidoo 2014). 

After successfully passing his Middle School exams, Jerry proceeded to Achimota College to continue his education. Achimota School with its sterling faculty of celebrated Ghanaian musicologist paved the way in rekindling Jerry`s musical interest and rudiments of music. He was fortunate to interact and learn from musical icons such as Philip Gbeho, RobertKwame and Ms Parnell. Unfortunately, dire financial strait hit Jerry and was unable to pay his tuition at Achimota (Motown). Thus, he moved from Motown to Accra Academy (Blɛɛoo!!), where he managed to complete his Sixth form after obtaining the Oxford and Cambridge Certificate in 1947. After school, luck instantly smiled on his face; he got the opportunity to work with United African Company (UAC) and was offered a scholarship to study optical mechanics, specializing in the maintenance of cameras and microscopes in Germany. 

In Germany, Jerry met the Holland-based Dance Orchestra, Ramblers, which used to perform at Lake Constant holiday resort in the city of Stuggart in the 1960s and 1950s. Jerry became keen in their brand of music. He made a visit to their hotel and managed to strike an awesome friendship with the group, whom he came to know that they were not composed of full-time musicians, but were professional medical practitioners, lecturers among others. He quickly appreciated that one can be in his profession and still be a musician.

Upon his return to Gold Coast (Ghana), Jerry Hensen made a swift move to join Accra Orchestra in 1949. This Orchestra was founded by Teacher Lamptey, and at one time had musicians like Yebuah Mensah (the senior brother of the King of Highlife E.T. Mensah), E. T. Mensah, Saka Acquaye, Guy Warren (Kofi Ghanaba the Divine Drummer), and Quamla King Bruce (founder of Black Beats) who was Jerry`s mate at Motown. Jerry`s decision in joining Accra Orchestra raised serious opposition from his father who saw music as bad influence, and counselled Jerry to rather concentrate on his career optical mechanic. But his stepmother came to his rescue by encouraging him to persevere in his musical quest. 

The encouragement aided Jerry to start his apprenticeship in the Accra Orchestra. He learned how to play saxophone and clarinet from this talented group. The great lessons he received made it possible for him to become a fledged amateur musician. Armed with his experience from Accra Orchestra, Jerry joined the Accra Rhythmic Orchestra. The Accra Rhythmic Orchestra was more professional compared to the Accra Orchestra. For this, Jerry joined them as one of their percussionists specifically on the conga.
 
He also helped in arranging and packing their instruments during and after performance. Ampofo explains in Aidoo (2012): "Jerry Hansen joined the Accra Rhythmic Orchestra led by Yabuah Mensah (senior brother of the King of Highlife, E.T. Mensah) as a conga-dee. He made this decision because he was not that versatile on his instrument and as such could not be admitted in the Rhythmic Orchestra. Hence the only way he could attend their performances was to help them unload and offload their equipment for their engagements after every performance."

Jerry Hansen improved on his instrument after he had met famous musicians like Joe Kelly, Tommy Gripman and E.T. Mensah in Accra Rhythmic Orchestra. Jerry became a very good saxophonist but could not read the musical score. In order to learn the musical score, he joined the City Orchestra in the early 1950s.

Jerry returned to the Accra Orchestra after learning how to read the musical score in 1951. Saka Acquaye was the only old member left in the Accra Orchestra and there was no one to play the trumpet and trombone. Jerry decided to learn to play the trumpet and trombone with the help of Saka Aquaye. With all these experiences, Jerry never got the opportunity to perform with the Accra Orchestra till it collapsed due to mismanagement. Consequently, Jerry joined E.T Mensah and his Tempos Band for a month.

After the collapse of the Accra Orchestra, Saka Acquaye and King Bruceformed the Black Beats and invited other musicians including Jerry Hanson to join in 1952. They started rehearsing from January to April 1952. Jerry Hansen was playing alto sax and a bit of singing, Saka Acquaye was on the tenor sax, King Bruce on the trumpet, Kwamena Croffie on bass and BillySam on guitar. This was the period when Jerry Hansen‟s music career became vibrant. In 1953, the Black Beats did their first recording with HMV (His Master‟s Voice). "Oshija‟ (Spinster) and "Tso No Tsatsa‟ (Tree Aunt) was the only hit songs on the tape. They also did some recordings with Decca till 1965. Professor John Collins in his unpublished script where he interviewed King Bruce, he stated:" As a result Decca signed us on. Some of the most popular recordings we did for Decca that are still popular today, are "Ao! Dei! Oh!‟, "Mikuu Mise Mebea Don‟, and "Srotoi Ye Mli‟. Then there was "Nnomo Noko‟ released on Senafone." Jerry spent nine years playing for Black Beat from 1952 to 1961 and even rotated leadership with King Bruce. 

But in 1961, the ace tenor saxophonist Jerry Hansen with other nine musicians left the semi-professional Black Beats to form the fully professional Ramblers Dance Band. The RAMBLERS was the resident band of Star Hotel in the sixties and occasionally performed at Ambassador Hotel and other places including state functions.
 
In no time, Jerry recruited five more musicians into their fold and started making their musical gigs. Jerry Hansen disclosed how the band came into existence through the effort of Mr. Zakkour Metropole Hotel manager who promised to sponsor them with instruments in his interview with Ampofo (2011) thus: "Mr. Zakkour kept coming to my office to convince me to form a new band and that he would buy us instruments. I initially thought he was joking but he persistently kept coming to me to convince me. So I thought, why not, I will give a try. I formed the band to surprise, he bought the instruments and offered his hotel as a place we could keep the instruments and practice" (see Aidoo, 2014). 

Owusu (2015) argues that after splitting from the Black Beats, Jerry Hansen's 15 piece big band adopted a similar line up to the Black Beats. Songs such as Ama Bosua, Auntie Christie, and Knock on Wood, a soul Highlife version of the Eddie Floyd song, were mostly catchy with vocal harmony over guitars and percussion. Drum Magazine (1969) also referred to the Ramblers Dance Band as "purely amateur group" of people with various original jobs before their entry into music.
 
Some were even combining music with their original jobs. Joe Achisu and Arthur Plange (Alto Sax) were auto mechanics, whilst Eddie Owoo (Drummer) was an insurance salesman. Charles Kodjoe (Vocalists), Patrick Kwesi Forson (Alto Sax), Lawrence Osei and Ferdinand Asare (Trumpet s) were all clerks. FelixAmenuda (Tenor Sax and Flute) and Urich Fleischer (Conga) were technicians whilst Dave Aryee Hammond (Trombone) and Prince Owoo (Percussion) were also draughtsmen. Frank Croffie (Electric Guitar) was already well-known for his role as the man who recorded almost all the Radio Ghana Guitar interludes and Eddie Soga (Bass Guitar), youngest member of the group was a student at the University of Ghana.
 
The ethnic diversity of this Band make it possible for them to record music varieties that appealed to the totality of Ghana`s population. Okoampa-Ahoofe Jnr (2012) argues that Jerry Hansen's Ramblers International band was a spectacular band which more closely approximated the classical concept of a national band, in cultural nationalist parlance, than any other musical group before or since its emergence in 1961. Indeed, "What made Jerry Hansen a stand-out from all the rest, however, had to do with his inimitable ability to capture and poetically distill cognitive and philosophical nuggets from major modern Ghanaian languages – in the main, Akan, Ga and Ewe, and also English – and to symphonically suit the same to what may properly be termed as the Big-Band Sound (Okoampa-Ahoofe Jnr, 2012). 
 
Thus in 1962, Jerry Hansen and his Ramblers International Band recorded under Decca`s label and released Singles and LPs such as "Eka Wonko A/Saana Owu Bo Fie", "Oburoni Woewu/Antie Christie", "Murusu Maye Den/Abonsam Fireman", "Kae Dabi/Ponko Abodam" and "Oyi Edze/Owu Nnye . In the same year, they had two compilations: "The Fabulous Ramblers" and "Encores." In 1963, they followed it up "Womma Wonka/Wegya Saman", "Kosor Kopor/Mitee Momo", "Nyimpa Dasenyi/Work And Happiness" and Ewuraba Artificial/Obra Rehwem." In 1964, the group was joined by the young Nana Kwame Ampadu briefly, after Ampadu has cultivated acquaintance of Jerry Hansen, leader and founder of the Ramblers Dance band. Ampadu gave Jerry eight songs in all for free which the Ramblers Band recorded.
 
Some of the songs are "Ntoboase", "Afutusem", "Scholarship", "Me Nsoromma Bepue", which became instant hit tracks. It was after this encounter that Jerry introduced Ampadu to Phillips West Africa Ltd., a recording publishers and Ampadu was given the chance to record two single tracks for a 45 R.P.M release. In that same year, Jerry Hansen and his Ramblers also recorded "Akokonini Abankwaa/ Owu", "Nyame Mbere/Knock On Wood", "Meni Nda Obiara So/Agyanka Dabre" and "Brode Kokoo."

The band became the sensation of the era, and the Nkrumah`s government also gave them serious publicity and support. Thus, in 1965, Jerry Hansen gained the Government of Ghana scholarship to study Photo and Forensic Laboratory management at Czechoslovakia, where he had a rare opportunity to do musical gigs with the famous jazz musician Karel Velenbny and his S & H Quintette in Prague. When he returned the group did series of musical performance and improvement in their musical delivery became well-known. Hence, in 1967, Jerry Hansen and The Ramblers Dance Band released two compilations: "Dance With The Ramblers" and "Dance With The Ramblers ‎(LP, Comp) under Decca record label. With the band`s record unmatched, in the same year (1967), the Band went on six week tour of the United Kingdom by the kind courtesy of the Ghana Union of Great Britain and Ireland. They performed at London, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and later, Czechoslovakia.
 
They won big contract from BBC to perform on their show (see Drum Magazine, 1969). Prior to that the band had toured Nigeria and Sierra Leone, visited the Gambia and other African countries in 1962 under Ghana Government sponsorship. It was their performance in Nigeria that the band and its leader received great plaudits from the famous Nigerian Highlife band leader of Blue Nine Band from Biafra, Zep Philip. He commended: "We all have to pay Ramblers a big tribute because this is the only band bringing up West Africa musically today. I pray that Ramblers keep their present standards and that Jerry gives the boys all the necessary encouragement. The vocalist, Joe and Charles are the best in Africa today….(Drum Magazine, 1969). The band visited United States and also played for Ghana National trust fund and other charitable organizations. 

By 1969, Ramblers Dance band had few challengers in the Ghanaian musical landscape. Jerry Hansen was the musical impresario of the era. Arthur Plange, the alto Trumpeter, in an interview averred that 'the Ramblers Dance Band, nearly eight years old (in 1969) has introduced glamour into the West African Highlife Scene. The Band has provided its dance fans with their highlife tunes, while for those who have preferred to listen it has supplied the necessary innovations to the traditional forms. The duet vocal technique employed by this band has been very successful. The highlife is West Africa's own beat. It is older than the 'Souls', or the 'Twist' and even the 'Rock and Roll'; it will still be around when we leave."

The Jerry Hansen and his group continued to release classic songs and series of albums in the 70sThe albums include: Doin' Our Own Thing (1971), Ramblers International (1976) and Ramblers International ‎(LP 1977). In 1974, Jerry achieved his musical crowning moment when was elected as the first president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA). Jerry as the leader of Ramblers went on to release over 200 songs until he passed on. 

On Saturday, 7th April 2012, Jerry Hansen made a perpetual journey to his ancestors at the age of 85 after battling with an ailment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. His death brought a lot of tributes from across the world recounting his contribution to the growth of Highlife music. For Professor Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe Jnr., an English, Journalism and Creative Writing lecturer at Nassau Community College of the State University of New York, Garden City, USA, the glorious passing of Jerry Hansen "brings to closure, an epoch in which Ghanaian popular music epitomized the very best of contemporary dance-band and dance-hall music in postcolonial Africa." Jerry Hansen was one of the last giants of the classic highlife sound and will be sorely missed.

Source
Aidoo, S. T. E. P. H. E. N. (2014). Saxophone Solos in Ghanaian Highlife Music: An Analytical Study of Tempos and the Ramblers International Bands (Doctoral dissertation, University of Ghana).
Drum Magazine (1969) Odidi, B. (2016). Highlife: The heart and soul of Ghana's popular music. http://thisisafrica.me/…/highlife-the-heart-and-soul-of-gh…/ Okoampa-Ahoofe. Jr, K. (2012). Jerry Hansen- Ghana`s Greatest Dance-Highlife Legend. http://www.ghanaweb.com/…/Jerry-Hansen-Ghana-s-Greatest-Dan…
Oti, S. (2009). Highlife Music in West Africa: Down Memory Lane--. African Books Collective.
Owusu, K. (2015). THE HIGHLIFE REVOLUTION PART 2 (ACCRA: THE Swinging 1950's and 60's). http://accradotaltradio.com/…/the-highlife-revolution-part…/
Plange, A. (1969). The Hit Sound of The Ramblers Dance Band, 1969 Decca (West Africa) Ltd.
Sunday Mirror (1967). "Ramblers tour Britain…." Sunday Mirror Issue 730, August 6 1967 edited by J.K. Ocran.