George Darko

George Darko was a Ghanaian guitarist, singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of burger highlife, the electronic highlife style created by Ghanaian musicians in Germany in the early 1980s. His 1983 song "Ako Te Brofo" is still played at parties and funerals across Ghana and the diaspora.

Early life

He was born Nana Yaw Ampem Darko on 12 January 1951 in Akropong, in the Akuapem area of the Eastern Region, and was active on the music scene from the late 1960s.

Germany and burger highlife

In the late 1970s he moved to Germany with the Golden Stool Band. In 1982 he formed the Bus Stop band, and in 1983 he released "Ako Te Brofo" ("The parrot speaks English"), which became his signature song and helped define burger highlife alongside musicians such as Daddy Lumba, Pat Thomas and Ben Brako. His albums, released between 1983 and 2019, include Friends, Highlife in the Air and No Weapon.

Return to Ghana

He returned to Ghana in 1988, and in 1991 he was made Tufuhene of Akropong-Akuapem, a traditional office. In 2020 the Ghana Music Awards gave him a Lifetime Award for Outstanding Contribution to Highlife.

Family and death

He was the father of the German rapper and singer Manuellsen. He died on 20 March 2024, aged 73, at Akuapem-Mampong after several months in palliative care.