Celebrated Ghanaian musician, Rex Omar has disclosed that he started his music career as a Gospel singer while growing up in Kumasi.
The ‘Abiba’ hitmaker recalled the recording process during that period and emphasized that it was pretty different from the present era where technology has made music production easier.
Rex Omar in an interview said:
“Music made in Ghana is explained that they had to rehearse with a band before recording.
“You had actually rehearsed with a band and even before you record a whole band must be in the studio and then start playing. If one person makes a mistake, the whole band would have to restart”.
Rex Omar
He also talked about his first album and mentioned that it was recorded during the days when Gospel music was at its peak in Ghana.
Rex Omar reminisced about his early days in Kumasi, where he was part of a quartet and would have to wake up early in the morning, practice diligently, and sing their respective parts, moving from one house to another to perfect their craft.
He added:
“Those were the days I recorded my first album. I remember when I first started, we started off as a quartet. Those were the days of the Gospel era you sing alto, treble, tenor, and bass. So we had to get up early in the morning with instruments and jump from one house to another just to sing at dawn. It was a form of voice training exercises and all that to be able to sing in key. If you are an alto singer, or a tenor singer, or bass or treble you should be able to practice to be able to sing in key”.
Rex Omar
The veteran also paid tribute to some of the gospel legends of that era, including Kofi Abraham and Yaw Sarpong, who inspired him and others to pursue their dreams in the music industry.
I introduced Reggae Gospel in Ghana with my first album, ‘Aseda’
Rex Omar, Ghanaian music legend and pioneer said that he introduced Reggae Gospel to Ghana with his first album, ‘Aseda’.
In an interview, Rex Omar, who has been in the music industry for over three decades, explained that he wanted to do something different from the already-known gospel music when he decided to go to the studio to record.
He chose Reggae Gospel, which was a complete departure from the gospel music that was known in Ghana at the time.
He said:
“You can get some of the tracks on YouTube, and when the music came out, those days it was vinyl and cassettes. I remember the perception and questions at the time were what Gospel songs have been used to create music for wee smokers because at the time Reggae was regarded as meant for those who smoked weed”.
Rex Omar
He further recounted his music not being categorized at the record shops, where they had packed the gospel music. According to him, they had every song from High Life, Gospel, and Reggae but his music, which came as gospel, was not categorized.
He added:
“They didn’t understand why I had to sing gospel in the reggae vein, so that was the difficulty I experienced, and that’s why the music didn’t make it. This was around 1985″.
Rex Omar
After experiencing difficulties with his Reggae Gospel music, Rex Omar shared that he went back to the studio to work on his gospel music, but he again mainstreamed it into the circular.
He explained:
“Aware Pa, for example, was a complete Bible quotation with lyrical content, but the Christians didn’t see it that way. So it was embraced by both circular and few Christians”.
Rex Omar
Rex Omar encouraged young musicians to create music that reflects their true selves.
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