Veteran highlife musician Gyedu Blay Ambolley has bemoaned the low attendance of the new crop of musicians at the one week memorial of the late Jewel Ackah.

Speaking with GN TV’s Pamela Boateng in Tema, the ‘Simigwa Do’ crooner stated there is the need for the new school to constantly be at the beck and call of the veterans so as to learn some skills that will help them churn out quality music.

Making a comparison between the one week memorial of the late dancehall queen Ebony Reigns and Paapa Yankson, the musician intimated that most of the young artistes attended the former and ditched the latter. This behavior according to Gyedu Blay is pathetic and a mistake on the part of the new crop of musicians.

‘The upcoming ones must know that the old school teaches the new school because of the experiences and everything we have. As we’ve seen here and as you’re commenting on this, I saw the same thing when we attended Paapa Yankson’s funeral. None of them were there and it’s very pathetic. Ebony passed away and we saw all of them there. That’s a big mistake they are doing because music is a link and we all find ourselves in that boat,’ he lamented.

According to the veteran, the new generation of musicians need to always seek direction from the long running musicians to guide them on the path to tow. He added that the absence of direction and guidance is what has yielded the low standard of music in the country.

‘When we came, we went to the elders to ask questions for them to teach us. All the music we’re doing now was learnt from our elders. They (new crop of musicians) also need to come and do so. If they don’t do so, they will fall apart. All the music they do now is computerized; cut and paste. They are doing Dancehall, they’re doing Reggae…NO!! We have a heritage here and it’s called Highlife music. Every country has its music; what we have is Highlife music so we need to develop it for the world to know what we have,’ Gyedu Blay Ambolley said.

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a Ghanaian highlife musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. The first musician from Ghana to formally incorporate rap forms into local highlife rhythms, Ambolley created the musical genre Simigwa.

In June 2015 Ambolley received a citation in the USA from the City Council of Philadelphia, read by Council woman; Honorable Jannie Blackwell and Hon. Stanley J. Staughter in recognition of the musician’s contributions to Ghanaian music in the USA.