De Frank Kakra

Not much is known about the artist known as De Frank Kakra—much less his birth name or his whereabouts. 'Kakra' in the local dialect of Asante Twi is often used to refer to the younger of twin brothers. However, digging deeper into his story we uncover a man of Ewe roots.

A few liner notes scattered across his records offer glimpses into his career as a backup vocalist and percussionist, recording and performing with prominent highlife musicians throughout the gold coast of Africa in the 1970's. Most notable was his involvement with the Cubano Fiestas, the stage and studio musicians for K. Frimpong. Many of these musicians were also members of the Vis-A-Vis band credited on his first albums.

Eventually finding his solo voice, De Frank formed his own bands consisting of several of these musicians. With the renowned guitarist Sammy Copper by his side, The Professionals and The Diggit Ways recorded albums with labels across Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast.