I Feared Music Would Destroy My Son’s Life — JA Adofo
Veteran Ghanaian highlife musician Obuoba JA Adofo has disclosed that he initially opposed his son, Rubean Adofo, popularly known as Adofo Jnr, from pursuing music as a career, citing concerns about what he described as the darker side of Ghana’s music industry.
Speaking in an interview, the celebrated highlife artiste revealed that he had hoped his son would choose a more conventional profession and enrolled him in a computer school to study computer engineering. However, his efforts proved unsuccessful as Adofo Jnr remained determined to build a career in music.
“I enrolled him in a computer school, but he refused to continue. He insisted that he wanted to follow in my footsteps and become a musician,” JA Adofo recounted.
Explaining the reasons behind his opposition, the musician said his experiences during the peak of his career left him convinced that the music industry was fraught with envy and spiritual attacks.
“I told him I couldn’t allow it because, during my prime, there was a lot of juju in the music industry. If you weren’t careful, someone could destroy your life,” he said.
JA Adofo further described music as a risky profession in Ghana, claiming that the deaths of some musicians could not always be attributed to natural causes but were sometimes linked to jealousy and rivalry within the industry.
Despite his initial reservations, the veteran musician said his perspective changed after witnessing his son’s commitment to preserving the family’s musical heritage.
According to him, there was a period when members of the renowned City Boys Band had all departed, leaving the group on the verge of collapse. It was Adofo Jnr, he said, who stepped forward to rebuild and sustain the band.
“When everyone left the City Boys Band, my son stood by me and kept the band alive. That was when I realised he was destined for this work,” he said.
Today, Adofo Jnr leads City Boys Band International, continuing the legacy established by his father. The band remains one of Ghana’s most respected live highlife ensembles, performing at major national events and touring across West Africa while preserving the rich traditions of Ghanaian highlife music.
