The way Ghanaians forget legends is bad, my father Jerry Hansen worked hard – Shegah

Ghanaian female musician, Mildred Mark Hansen, known in showbiz as Shegah, daughter of legendary Jerry Hanson of Rumblers International Band fame, has expressed her disappointment at how the contribution of her father and others, have not been celebrated.
 
According to her, her father, the late Jerry Hansen helped and contributed his quota to what many young people are celebrating today as Ghana music music.
 
She said aside from founding the Rumblers band, her father was a founding member and first President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).
 
This notwithstanding, she is of the view that after the death of her father, most of his hard work has not been appreciated.
 
She added that not limited to her father, the way Ghanaians forget their legends and heroes is very unfortunate, “I feel the pain at times.”
 
Speaking in an interview on Original FM, she said, there had been few awards schemes that have honoured her father(Jerry Hansen) in the past, “ at times, they call us to come for the award, I remember MTN was one of them.”
 
However, she noted that for some time now, all of these things have stopped, the last time, an organisation reached out to honour the late Mr.Hansen was over 10 years ago.
 
The founder of the Ramblers International Band, Mr. Jerry Hansen, passed away at 85 in 2012.
 
Shegah who used to be part of the female music trio, Tripple M, is currently out with a new single titled Cool Chop. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FhRPCgcFV2I&feature=youtu.be
 
About the late Jerry Hansen
Mr. Hansen (his showbiz name) was born on 23rd February, 1927 at Ashanti Bekwai, to Maami Senkire and Johney Hansen, a pharmacist.

He was named John William Hansen and at the age of five years was enrolled in the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) School at Bekwai, where he was first exposed to music.

His then teacher, Mr. Stoke had a huge Piano Accordion which at the time brought the church to life when he got up to solo or accompanying the choir to perform.

Hansen admired both the teacher’s performance and instrument so much that, he tried following him wherever he went, though he never got the chance of trying his hands on the musical instrument.

In 1939, Hansen left Bekwai to Koforidua where he attended the Methodist School. He later gained admission to Achimota School in Accra where he started the real study of music under Ms. Parnell and Mr. Philip Gbeho. He then moved to Accra Academy which he completed in 1947 after obtaining their Oxford and Cambridge certificates.
Shortly after completion, he got a job with the United African Company (UAC). Within two years of working for UAC, Hansen was offered a scholarship to train as an optical mechanic, specializing in the maintenance of cameras and microscopes among others in Germany.

While in Accra, Hansen’s interest in music made him join the Accra Orchestra which had King Bruce as one of its members around 1949. Though he was not good at playing any of the instruments at the time, only carrying them, gained him entrance into their performances.

Then in 1952, King Bruce formed the BLACK BEATS and convinced him (Jerry Hansen) to join it. Jerry Hansen played for the Black Beats from 1952 to 1961 when he left that band to form RABLERS International Band with guys like Eddie Owoo, Frank Coffie, Kwesi Forson, and Aryee Hammond among others.

The band which has since been under his leadership, has over 200 songs. Popular among the songs are Ama Bonsu, Ewuraba Atifical Owuo, Egyanka Dabre and Knock on Wood, a song composed by Eddie Floyd of USA but played by Ramblers.
RAMBLERS was the resident band of Star Hotel in the sixties and occasionally performed at Ambassador Hotel and other places including state functions.

The band excelled in its performances so well that it was made to perform at official functions involving foreign dignitaries in the country.