User:Akablay Anthony

Akablay, (Birthname: Anthony  Akablay) was born on  3rd  June 1965. His passion for music and natural talent saw the thrilling Akablay burst onto the ever-challenging music scene as the composer and lead guitarist of the famous Western  Diamonds  Band at a  young age. For the next ten years after, the Western  Diamonds  Band was the  ‘talk of the town’ and the reigning band in  Ghana,  as they delivered captivating and thrilling music composed by the maestro  Akablay. Abiza Band:  The beginning of family life saw  Akablay become more dedicated and enthusiastic about his work. This development eventually saw him form the Abiza band in 2005. Best Instrumentalist of the year,  2016  Ghana  Music Awards:  Before long,  his distinctive skill on the guitar and revolutionary style of  Ghanaian highlife music, saw  Akablay pick up the prestigious award for  ‘Best Instrumentalist of the year’  at the  Ghana  Music Awards,  in  2010. Tours and Performances:  Akablay and the  ABIZA BAND  have extensively toured and performed across Africa and  Europe,  making an immediate impact on all platforms. To date, Akablay and the  ABIZA  BAND have played in  48  different  African  Countries and many European countries as well,  and still counting.

Across Europe for example,  Akablay has admirably performed at the  DELFT  FESTIVAL  (Netherlands),  SFINKS FESTIVAL  (Belgium),  WAKA  WAKA  FESTIVAL  (Denmark), AFRICAN  KISS  FESTIVAL  (Germany),  and the  BLACK AFRICAN  MUSIC  FESTIVAL  (Netherlands). Notably, Akablay has played with some of the most renowned musicians and instrumentalists of our time including  Orlando  Julius,  Sonti  Ndebele,  Atongo Zimba,  Peter  White, Earl Klugh, Jonathan Butler, Nathaniel  Braddock amongst others.

Albums: Akablay proudly bears FIVE  (5)  classic albums to his professional career  (Life in the  Pot  (2007), Flip  Side of  Life  (2009),  Genesis of  Life  (2012),  The Gospel According to  My Guitar  (2014) and his recently released album  EDOKE  (2017))  which saw a  massive turnout and presence of many renowned artists, musicians,  producers,  sound engineers,  etc. including Nathaniel  Braddock  (all the way from the  United States of  America),  at his album launch event held at the Alliance Francaise, Accra.

Awards and Honors:  Akablay has bagged many awards and accolades in his lifetime including  Best Guitarist  (SUNSHINE  MUSIC  AWARDS  –  2006),  Best Instrumentalist  (GHANA  MUSIC  AWARDS  –  2010),  Best Guitarist  (MUSICIANS  UNION  OF  GHANA  2014)  and Best  African  Guitarist  (MIA  BENIN  –  2014)  and has zealously performed on many more platforms both in Ghana and beyond including the 2010 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE  AWARD  performance in  Oslo,  Norway  (with Miatta  Fahnbulley)  where he played the role of bandleader.

BAND PROFILE  (ABIZA BAND) Overview: The  Abiza  Band is an accomplished group and band which has been in existence for about  12 years. It's an indigenous Ghanaian band which was formed in  2005  blending the highlife rhythms of  Ghana with other beautiful rhythms of  Africa. This unique blend and style of music called the Kundum  Highlife music is also associated with the  Nzema tribe from the western part of  Ghana. The word Abiza is also a dance derived from the kundum festival of the Nzemas.

Band members: The Band is made up of seven musicians, under vibrant management. The band blends western music with traditional Ghanaian music. Achievements: The ABIZA Band is an accomplished band that boasts of impressive accolades, both locally and internationally. The band has toured extensively in Europe;  performing in  Denmark, Sweden,  Norway,  etc. In  Africa,  the band has also performed in  Ivory  Coast,  Mali,  Nigeria, etc.