Former manager and long-time friend of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba, Ernest Toah Akonor, has hinted that one of the musician’s unreleased tracks may be released on what would have been his 61st birthday, September 29.
Speaking to GhanaWeb’s Alfred Kumah on the sidelines of Daddy Lumba’s one-week observance, held on August 30, 2025, at Independence Square, Akonor disclosed that the late musician left behind a number of songs that are yet to be made public.
Contributions from prominent figures to late Daddy Lumba‘s family
He explained that one of these tracks could be released as a way of honouring him but noted that the process is not straightforward.
“I know several songs he has written that have not come out, and it would be a platform to launch some of these things as time goes on. It would be released. There are a lot of legal implications on that because I know where he recorded the songs, he told me, and we need to sit down with the producer and also try and get it mastered the way he wants it,” he said.
According to Akonor, Daddy Lumba was particular about how his music sounded and would often record in Ghana but master his work in Germany.
The challenge now, he explained, is that the sound engineer who worked with Lumba on mastering his songs passed away some years ago.
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“He records here (Ghana) but he masters it in Germany. Unfortunately, the guy doing the mastering for him also passed away some years ago. But before he passed, he had done six songs that were complete, and I know where they are. We should be expecting it, maybe on his birthday coming, which would have been his 61st on September 29. So maybe that will be when the first song will be released,” Akonor disclosed.
He noted, however, that legal issues must be addressed before any of the songs are released. Matters involving Lumba’s family, children, and collaborators will have to be resolved to ensure that the release is handled properly.
“It has legal implications because we need to deal with families and children, so we have to go through that legal maze before we can come out and say that we are releasing. But we wish by that time we would have gone through all that,” he added.
AK/BAI
