Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

RAMBLERS DANCE BAND

Highlife band led by tenor sax player Jerry Hansen, formed in golden era of '60s highlife in Ghana, the 15-piece dance band lasting for over two decades, popular throughout West Africa long after the highlife boom was over (though their repertoire, like that of all the great highlife bands, also encompassed, jazz, calypso, soul, etc). Hits in '60s incl. "Scholarship', "Auntie Christie', "Eka Wo Ekoa'; LPs The Fabulous Ramblers, Ramblers Encores; in the '70s Dancing With The Ramblers, Doin' Our Own Thing; their biggest hit album, widely available for many years, The Hit Sounds Of The Ramblers Dance Band. They took up lengthy residency mid-'70s at Accra's Ambassador, one of the best hotels; in '74 Hansen was elected first president of the Musicians Union of Ghana.