Conversations with Paa Kow Ninson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paa Kow Ninson. They and their team shared their story with us below:

In the small Ghanaian village of Enyan Denkyira, where Paa Kow was born, there was no electricity until he was 13 years old. As children, they would often entertain themselves by singing and making music any way they could.

Paa Kow fashioned drums out of metal cans, wire, and a fertilizer bag, which he used to practice for hours every day. He even built his drum pedal using a door hinge, some string, and an old sandal. His mother and uncle were professional singers and members of a successful touring concert band, which his uncle directed. Using instruments sent from Germany and a generator, the band would tour other villages without electricity and provide entertainment for the night.

Paa Kow’s music career officially began when they were rehearsing, and he decided to join in on the cowbell. At the time, he was barely seven years old and wanted to connect with his elders through music. The whole group could hear and feel a strong connection as the rhythm overcame him. His mom saw him playing and knew immediately that he could become a musician. She encouraged him and gave him the opportunity to try, and he did.

Within a year Paa Kow was playing congas and drum set with the group. At his first performance on the drum set, Paa Kow’s feet could not reach the pedals, so he had to stand and play. The audience danced and enjoyed his playing so much that some even attached paper money to his forehead when they saw that he was working hard and sweating!

Looking back on that day, Paa Kow explains, “Being a musician in Ghana is exciting because it brings everyone closer to you. After the show, they gave me gifts to show their appreciation. Right away, I thought that this was perfect, and it was then that I knew being a musician was my path in life.”

As he grew, so did his talent. Paa Kow became famous in the region as the “Small-boy Drummer.” Contrary to his parent’s wishes, Paa Kow would at times skip school just to play. On one occasion, when his bandmates weren’t looking, he hid inside of the bass drum and was packed into the back of the van for a tour. When they got to the first town, the rest of the band was quite surprised to see Paa Kow crawling out the bass drum.

Instead of being upset, they were all happy to see him and played the show together. Paa Kow missed school that following Monday, but it was the joy of music that compelled him to play this little trick on his elders. He says, “Music was everything I wanted, and I followed my dreams.” Paa Kow continued to follow his dreams, and ultimately, Enyan Denkyira had become too small. At the age of 14, he left and began touring with other notable concert bands in the area.

Shortly after, he landed a gig in the town of Winneba with the government-owned dance band called “New Creation.”  It was with this band that he traveled to Accra and was discovered by Ghanaian pop star Amakye Dede (pronounced am-achay day-day). Amakye loved Paa Kow’s playing so much that he offered his parents front money to let him move with him to the capital. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, so Paa Kow packed his things and traveled to Accra to play with the best musicians of Ghana.

Once again Paa Kow’s exceptional talent was quickly noticed throughout Accra and within a short time he was playing with other well-known musicians including George Darko, Kojo Antwi, and Nat Brew.  Playing with these artists gave Paa Kow his first chance to tour outside of Ghana to Switzerland, Scotland, Belgium, Amsterdam, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Togo, Egypt, and Nigeria.

While living in Accra, Paa Kow had a chance to meet with a traveling student from CU Boulder (CO, USA) named Peyton Shuffield. He was looking for a highlife drummer to study with, and after talking with various Accra musicians, all roads led to Ghana’s best and youngest talent. The friendship was instantaneous, and Peyton decided he wanted to help Paa Kow share his talent with the world.

So in 2007, with the support of CU professor Dr. Kwasi Ampene, Paa Kow was invited to the University of Colorado as a guest artist and teacher. Paa Kow’s musical and cultural exchange with musicians in the U.S. gave rise to his Afro-Fusion sound. With his group, Paa Kow put together materials for his debut album “Hand Go Hand Come.” The material was copious, which made it difficult to pick favorites and consolidate them into one CD.

Paa Kow ambitiously decided to make it a double disc. “Hand Go Hand Come” is the English translation of a Ghanaian proverb that embodies the idea of give-and-take. “The right-hand washes the left and the left washes the right” translates the inside cover of the CD booklet, informing listeners that Disc 1 and Disc 2 work together as one. They present this early masterpiece of rhythmic precision, talented lyricism, and original fusion of West African Pop with Jazz impressions.

The release of Hand Go Hand Come on April 11th, 2012, was a celebration. Since its release, Paa Kow has taken the album on the road, touring all over the US. Paa Kow’s second studio album, Ask, was released in August 2014, Cookpot, his third album, was released in the fall of 2017 and Nkwa Na Ehia, his latest album, was released in 2021.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Back home in Accra, I was always a session musician playing for the top artists just moving from gig to gig. So moving to the US, immersing myself in a different culture, and forming my own group was all certainly a challenge. I was now the bandleader and writing my own songs.

Having to find the right musicians to help me perform my music well was also not an easy task. Being the frontman, lead singer, and drummer of a fusion genre that isn’t necessarily West African or Jazz forced me to blaze my own trail that has been, at times, an uphill battle. The hardships though have made me grateful to be where I am and hope to continue to share my music with the world.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m known for being a drum set player, so people often ask me if I write music. I’m also a bass player and I use the bass to write the foundation of all my songs.

I’m most proud of the albums I’ve been lucky enough to record over the years, and I hope they will be enjoyed for years to come. I think being a bandleader and singer as a drum set player could set me apart from others.

What’s next?
I want to continue writing and performing music as long as I can. I have another album in the works and hope to keep touring and sharing the music and culture from my homeland with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://paakowmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paakowmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paakowmusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/paakowtv

Image Credits
Elliot Siff and Nolan Blunck