A group of Ghana’s veteran gospel musicians from the 1980s and 1990s paid a courtesy visit to King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II and the Ga Traditional Council this week to announce the launch of a new collective, ‘The Legendary Minstrels,’ and to commemorate a shared musical past.
The delegation was led by Diana Hopeson and included Rev. Mary Ghansah, members of the Daughters of Glorious Jesus, Bishop Sammy Lartey and other notable figures from the era.
During the visit they recalled working with the now monarch in earlier parts of their careers and thanked him for the role he played in their artistic development.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, born Kelvin Nii Tackie Abia, spent years in music production during his university and early professional life.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he handled recording and video production for many of Ghana’s leading gospel acts.
That history gave the meeting a personal tone, as the musicians and Gã Mantse traded memories of studio sessions, tours, and ministry work.
Diana Hopeson spoke warmly about those shared moments and the group’s decision to formalise their bond.
The artists say ‘The Legendary Minstrels’ will serve as a platform to preserve and promote the gospel music of their generation and to mentor younger artistes who look to that era for inspiration.
At the palace, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II returned the fondness and gently reminded the musicians of the ties that bind them.
On a light note, he referred to himself as a brother and gospel minister who now sits before them as king of the Ga state.
The exchange was full of laughter and nostalgia while also underscoring the cultural continuity between faith, music and community leadership.
The visit ended on a musical note.
The ensemble serenaded the monarch by singing the local Ga worship song ‘Kaashe gbeyei, shi mi kɛ bo yɔɔ’, a hymn that translates as ‘Fear not, for I am with you’ and is a direct quotation from Isaiah 41:10 in the Bible, often used to reassure people that God is with them.
The rendition was intended both as encouragement to the king and as a symbolic blessing for the new collective.
The formation of ‘The Legendary Minstrels’ marks a deliberate effort by older gospel practitioners to preserve their repertoire and influence Ghana’s contemporary gospel scene.
The meeting at the Ga Traditional Council highlighted how music and traditional authority intersect in Ghanaian public life.
For the veteran musicians, the visit was both a homecoming and the starting point for a planned season of collaboration that aims to keep their songs and testimonies alive for new audiences.
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