At first, Alogte Oho’s
career was moving along in relatively small steps. Neither his first locally released cassette, put out
in 2007 when he had just turned twentyone, or his 2010 follow up album, had yielded the
successes he yearned for. As a consequence he became desperate to make a living through
music and was close to giving up when his life took a dramatic turn.
One day, Oho was riding
his motorbike through the chaotic traffic of Ghana’s capital Accra and daydreaming about the
possibilities better future. While distracted, he was suddenly hit by a car and suffered serious
injuries, almost losing his life. The accident left him confined to hospital for about two
months. After the shock was gone, he was lieing in his hospital bed when he became aware of a
divine protection that had kept him alive. His first clear thought was ‘Mam Yinne Wa’ (God,
You Love Me So). He suddenly started to hum a melody and the song ‘Mam Yinne Wa’ was
born.
The first thing he did
once he had fully recovered with a new motivation to continue with music, was to run to the
studio to record his new song. It instantly became a big hit among his people, the Frafra, and
suddenly Alogte was the top Frafra-Gospel artist.
‘Mam Yinne Wa’ is also the
title of Alogte’s first debut internationally released album on Philophon. As always,
Alogte is accompanied his cheerful choir, The Sounds of Joy. The album opens up with a
newly recorded version of ‘Mam Yinne Wa’, which saw a 7“ release on Philophon back in 2016
and helped Alogte become an internationally recognised artist.
Over the course of nine
tracks, Oho takes the listener on a journey to the very unique world of Frafra-Gospel. The songs
demonstrates just how he came to be such a universally loved artist in his hometown of
Bolgatanga in northern Ghana. Lilting from low slung reggae based numbers like ‘Alema Timba’
and ‘La Ta’aba’ to more upbeat songs like ‘Sandana Fom’ and the album’s title track,
which are played in traditional local rhythms. Throughout the album, Oho and his Sounds of Joy
deliver the Lord’s gospel in soothing Frafra tones.
Born to a Frafra father
and an Akim mother, he grew up in the rainforest of southern Ghana before moving up to the
land of the Frafra in the savannah of northern Ghana as a young boy. Growing up in Namoo, his
father’s village of origin, he was deeply impressed by the glorious moments he experienced
during the services at the village’s church. All that singing and drumming ensured he was
the first at church every Sunday, long before the service even started.
His only wish at the time was to be old enough to join the church choir. When he turned thirteen his wish came true and he instantly had his first studio experience, as the choir recorded a series of cassettes on which he performed.
After he had finished
school he focused on his own career as a Frafra-Gospel artist. In 2007 he released his first album,
but it took another five years for him to have his break through as a leading singer. Since the
release of his third album in 2012, which contained the original version of "Mam Yinne Wa",
he was booked for almost all of the festivals and celebrations in the region and was also
invited to almost all of the countless Frafra communities which exist all over Ghana.
In 2013 Max Weissenfeldt
visited Bolgatanga, the capital of the Frafra for the frst time. When he stepped out of the bus
at the main market a song by Alogte was playing loudly through some big speakers. He was
immediately captured by the music and arranged to meet with Alogte. After a short
introduction they both agreed to do some recordings.
Weissenfeldt had some instrumentals with him, so he charged his laptop well, packed his microphone and Alogte drove with him through the savannah into the backcountry of the Frafra land. When they had arrived in Namoo, Max set up his studio and Alogte assembled the Sounds of Joy. The result was „Zota Yinne“, which became Oho’s first single released on Philophon in 2014. For some reason the song became a hit in Reggae sound system circles and is already a very sought after collectors item.
The same year Weissenfeldt
returned to Ghana from Germany with some fellow musicians to play an extended tour
through Ghana alongside Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy and Kologo master Guy One (Guy One -
#1, released on Philophon in 2018). During that tour he learned a dozen songs by Alogte.
Following this, 2016 saw the release of the follow up single "Mam Yinne Wa". In the same way
as the locally released version pushed Alogte to the top of FrafraGospel
singers, this newly produced version made him a global player. Mam Yinne Wa - God, You
Love Me So. It looks like that somebody has heard him!
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