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Queen Asabia Cropper

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The Queen of highlife music
Queen Asabia Cropper
On Soprano Saxophone
upright=Asabia_Cropper.jpg
Born
Eugenia Asabia Cropper

Accra, Ghana
NationalityGhanaian
OccupationSinger/ Saxophonist
Years active1975 - present
Known forKente headgear

Eugenia Asabia Cropper is a Ghanaian female highlife singer and saxophonist.[1][2][3]She wears headgear (headwraps). Her grandmother and mother gave her the patterns for these in 1975.[4][5]She created the Mt Kilimanjaro,[4] Afajato kloyo and Yogaga styles.

Early life and career

Queen Asabia Cropper and Kenteman
Queen Asabia and Kenteman

Queen Asabia Cropper was born, raised and educated in Ghana. She studied fashion design and painting from her mother and coach. Her mother and grandmother gave her the head gear patterns. She is the twin sister of Kenteman who is a bassist, multi-instrumentalist and music director.[6] He introduced her to music.

Queen Asabia Cropper with the Golden Disc
Queen Asabia Cropper and the Director of Disco Stock International - Daniel Cuxac

She learnt how to play the piano, acoustic guitar and soprano saxophone at a young age. She was taught by her brother, Kenteman. Sammy Lartey Snr and Tex Korley also coached Queen Asabia Cropper on her soprano saxophone. In the 1970s, they made a team where they both played for Sweet Talks and Black Hustlers Band in Cote D'ivoire.[7] In 1979 the leader Smart Nkansah and Agyaekuh, the lead singer left the the Black Hustlers band living Queen Asabia Cropper and Kenteman in charge. Wamaya was recorded by the celebrated recording engineer, Abdoulaye Soumare of Eboni Records headed by Director Gerald Theus, Amadou Doukoure and Linda Farmer in Côte D'Ivoire. The Eboni records band, Black Hustlers back Mory Kante's album - N'Diarabi with Kenteman (Eugene Cropper) on bass guitar.

Queen Asabia Cropper featured on Sam Managuana's album alongside Jimmy Hyacinthe.

Honors and awards

File:Queen Asabia Cropper n Mama Africa.jpg
Queen Asabia Cropper with President Nelson Mandela
File:Queen Asabia Cropper 2.jpg
Queen Asabia Cropper and Mama Africa Miriam Makeba
File:Queen Asabia Cropper n Obama.jpg
Queen Asabia Cropper and President Barack Obama

In 1984 Queen Asabia Cropper won a gold disc from Daniel Cuxac, the international music executive producer and director of Disco Stock International Cote D'Ivoire. During the Union of Radio and Television networks of Africa (URTNA Awards) in 1993, Queen Asabia Cropper and her brother were honored as cultural ambassadors of Africa. She was also honored as the 'Queen of Highlife Music'.[8] The print that was named after Asabia Pangne de Asabia.

In 2019, she was honored at the 2019 edition of the Rhythms On Da Runway fashion show by KOD's Nineteen57 for her contribution to fashion in Ghana.[8][6] She was also honored by MUSIGA Presidential Grand Ball. She received the Music Industry Heroes Award in the second edition of honoring music legends in Ghana.[9] Queen Asabia and her brother Kenteman received the lifetime achievement award honored by the Musicians Union of Ghana.[8]

Queen Asabia Cropper and Kenteman were honoured when their mentor Agya Koo Nimo played the acoustic guitar on the wamaya album in 1981.[10]. Queen Asabia was the artist of the year and self titled album Asabia was chosen as the album of the year.

1983 was the giving birth of kente print in Cote D'Ivoire. A print that was named after Queen Asabia Cropper, Pangne de Asabia which means - Asabia's Cloth or Asabia's trademark uniform. Queen Asabia Cropper and her brother and mentor Kenteman, have projected and promoted Ghana's kente cloth to the globe for four decades. In the 1980s Queen Asabia Cropper and Kenteman duo had established themselves as Ghana’s music ambassadors to the world and their distinctive kente cotom nicknamed pangne du Asabia had found many followers globally. Admires of their kente concepts of togetherness and love of people of all nations of the world include the Empress of African music (Mama Africa) – Miriam Makeba and renowned heads of states and presidents.

Discography

  • Torwia
  • Inamosi
  • Wamaya[1][11]
  • I Love So Much

Further reading

  • "Queen Asabia Cropper: The woman who broke the music glass ceiling". Myjoyonline. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.

References

  1. ^ a b "Photos: Older artistes must support young ones - Asabea Cropper". MyJoyOnline. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  2. ^ "Asabea Cropper For 'Della For Womanity Concert' Tomorrow". DailyGuide Network. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  3. ^ "Asabea Cropper for SSUE's Signature Concert". MyNewsGh. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  4. ^ a b "Mama Zimbi learned Kilimanjaro headgears from me – Asabea Cropper". Ghana Songs. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  5. ^ "Older artistes must support young ones—Asabea Cropper". Graphic Showbiz Online. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  6. ^ a b "Asabea Cropper, Kenteman To Be Honoured". New Ghanaweb. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  7. ^ Discogs, Discogs (1978). "The Black Hustlers".
  8. ^ a b c "Asabea Cropper, Kenteman To Be Honoured". DailyGuide Network. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  9. ^ "Asabea Cropper, Kwadwo Akwaboah, Pat Thomas, 3 Others To Be Honoured At MUSIGA Presidential Grand Ball". NY DJ Live. 2019-04-05. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  10. ^ "Discogs". 1984.
  11. ^ Collins, John (1992). West African Pop Roots. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-0-87722-793-9.
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