Regarded as a highlife legend and after sterling performances across Europe, many thought Bob Pinodo had retired from making music until he showed up at the 2015 edition of the MUSIGA Grand Ball where he proved he had not lost his brilliant touch and if anything, had gotten even better.
Bob Pinodo proved that he was still the Show Master of Africa with a performance of some of his famous songs such as Disco Dance, which got President John Dramani Mahama onto the dance floor in a matter of minutes.
In a recent interview with Showbiz, Bob Pinodo revealed that, though he had been missing from the stage, he had been impacting the vast knowledge he had gathered on his travels across the world to the next generation of Ghanaian artistes.
He told Showbiz that after his extensive tours in Europe and other places, he had been back home over the last 10 years working as a research tutor and directing the dance band department at the University of Education, Winneba, in the Central Region.
According to him, he had been tutoring students in areas such as music production, arrangement, dance band directing and music recording.
Bob Pinodo spent his early years in the Greater Accra and the Central regions, before starting his education at the Salvation Army School in Agona Swedru and later to the Crew Avenue School at Chorkor and then to the Accra High School.
Bob Pinodo, real name, Kwaku Idan, told Showbiz that his interest in music and the arts was as a result of how his deceased father, a musician, encouraged him to peruse his passion.
“The first band I played with was the Republic Aces Band in Agona Swedru. I later moved on to the Blue Monks band which was based at Tip Toe Gardens near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle. I then joined the Silver Bells Band at the Apollo Theatre. I was also a member of the Coconut 7 band which included the well-known highlife artiste, C.K Mann,” he said.
Bob Pinodo became one of the country’s foremost showmen, traveling around the regions with his own variety show which comprised dance, music and comedy.
He still has fond memories of recordings done with some renowned musicicians from across the world.
“I remember recording with the trumpeter of Tina Turner and Marvin Gaye’s saxophonist,” he said.
Bob Pinodo credits his illustrious music career to his originality and staying true to his African roots.
“What set me apart during the early stages of my career was the fact that I always played my own compositions. That brought me to the attention of some of the big names of that era and earned me invitations to join bands such as the Blue Monks,” he said.
He urged musicians in Ghana to take inspiration from traditional music rather than trying to look and sound like foreigners.
“The people we are trying to imitate have already established the structures and systems in place which make it easy for them to succeed, and there is no way we can rap and sing better than they do,” he said.
He added that, “even when we strive to imitate foreign artistes, we are unable to match them at any level, hence the reason most Ghanaian productions that find their way to the West are patronised mostly by Ghanaians and other African nationals in the diaspora.
He urged artistes to stick to indigenous genres of music such as highlife and Afro- beat which he said, had universal appeal.
“I have had the chance to tour the whole world, so I know what I am talking about. Let’s concentrate on what we have, instead of trying to sound like others.
“An example is Fela Kuti who had huge success by virtue of the indigenous music he was doing. I know Ghanaians are clever and we can do everything we set our minds to,” he said.
Bob Pinodo released his maiden album titled Show Master of Africa on the Essiebons label in 1978. It contained songs like Disco Dance, Yesu Ne M’agyenkwa, Love is Love, Girl with the Guitar Shape, Come Back Love, Africa, Darling and Peep to See.
The album had air play on the BBC. It also won several accolades from the Entertainment Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana (ECRAG) and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
He followed the debut album up with another collection titled Love Your Neighbour in 1979 and then Sonobete in 1980.
