Meet the Baya Man, Ben Brako
At a tender age, our personality for this week realised that he had the talent to sing and, actually sang at home and in school to entertain guests of his parents, as well as schoolmates.
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While in secondary school he took his talent further by joining the school’s band but it became obvious that his involvement in music was going to interfere with his academic work as the band had to rehearse for the numerous performances they were always billed for.
He, however, took steps to ensure that he would not allow pursuing his talent to affect his education. He, therefore, alloted equal time to his studies as well as honing his talent. In the end, he excelled in both areas. Indeed, at the peak of his successful music career in the 1980s, he was one of the few successful Ghanaian musicians with a university degree.
Mr Ben Brako, a pioneer of modern highlife music, is obviously our personality for this week. Have you heard of his songs, Mawie m’gro dzi, meko mekrom, or Etui, which often send the older generation on their feet any time they are played? These are some of the songs from the six albums Mr Brako came out with during his music career which spanned over 30 years till date.
“As one of the pioneer band members of the St Augustine’s College School Band, we used to travel extensively around the country for various school performances and outdoor events. Sometimes I had to skip classes and go for rehearsals for some of these engagements. Whenever I returned from these outdoor programmes, I made sure to make up for the lost time by asking friends to fill me in with what was taught when I was absent. Apart from this, I did a lot of private studies and if there was the need for further explanation, I went to my teachers for help. Our band played with various groups in the country. During that period, we made money. I became very popular among my mates as the lead vocalist/singer of the band, but that did not affect my academic work. Somehow, everybody in the band did well academically,” he disclosed.
Young Ben’s membership in the band was a happenstance. While pursuing primary education at the St John’s Preparatory School in Accra, he used to sing during entertainment period to entertain his mates. Apparently, his mates had taken note of his musical talent. Therefore, when a number of them got admission to the St Augustine’s College in Cape Coast and the school decided to form a band, he was invited to join the group as the vocalist.
“I love singing and that was right from my childhood days. I always loved to sing and sing well. Joining the school band, therefore, became an eye-opener for me as I got to know what it really entailed. I got to know how to get the right musical keys and made very good use of this knowledge,” he stated.
Young Ben’s love for music is not surprising because he comes from an artistic family. According to him, his mother used to cook and bake while his auntie, Sally T, was a renowned seamstress in Accra. His maternal grandmother played the organ in church, which at the time was not common.
Early life
Mr Brako was born in Accra in 1952. Since his father was a Principal Agricultural Survey Officer, he was transferred to different cocoa growing communities, so Young Ben changed schools frequently. In fact, by the time he completed primary school, he had attended at least 10 schools. Despite the frequent changes, Cape Coast became the main town where he lived together with his siblings at their grandmother’s house.
He said in those days, he used to walk to school. While some of the journeys to school were short, others were quite a distance, such as trekking from Cape Coast Siwdu to Philip Quaicoe Boys’ School at the other part of Cape Coast. He described his general conduct in school as good and pointed out that this was notwithstanding being a teenage pop star while in St Augustine’s College.
Education
Mr Brako had his Sixth Form education at the Tema Secondary School. Initially, he wanted to pursue music as a career but later changed his mind because his mother impressed upon him to work towards attaining a university degree before he went into music.
With this advice, he entered the University of Ghana where he graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics. It was his love for the natural environment, a passion he developed while assisting his father on his farms, that made him select that course.
After his National Service at the Achimota School, he went into the business world. He finally ended up as the Chief Executive of a successful shipping company.
During the early 1980s, when Ghana went through unprecedented harsh economic conditions, he left for London and that was when he decided to pursue his music career. Again, he pursued further education at the University of East London where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Media Communication Studies.
Albums
His first recording was released in 1985 but according to him, it was his second album, Baya, that made him very popular.
Family
Mr Brako is married with five children.