Veteran Gospel Icons Launch ‘Legendary Minstrels’ with Visit to Ga Mantse

A group of Ghana’s renowned gospel musicians from the 1980s and 1990s have come together to form a new collective, The Legendary Minstrels, officially introducing the initiative during a courtesy visit to King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II and the Ga Traditional Council this week.

The delegation, led by Diana Hopeson, included Rev. Mary Ghansah, members of Daughters of Glorious Jesus, Bishop Sammy Lartey, and other celebrated voices from the golden era of gospel music.

The visit was filled with nostalgia as the musicians and the Ga Mantse, who once worked with many of them in music production during his university days, reminisced about recording sessions, concerts, and ministry work. King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, born Kelvin Nii Tackie Abia, produced and directed several gospel projects in the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving a lasting impact on their careers.

Speaking at the palace, Diana Hopeson explained that The Legendary Minstrels was created to preserve the rich legacy of gospel music from their generation while serving as a mentorship platform for emerging artistes.

The Ga Mantse warmly welcomed the initiative, describing himself humorously as a “brother and gospel minister who now sits before you as king.”

The visit concluded with the musicians singing the Ga worship hymn “Kaashe gbeyei, shi mi kɛ bo yɔɔ” (“Fear not, for I am with you” – Isaiah 41:10), offering both encouragement to the king and a symbolic blessing for the new collective.

For the veteran artistes, the launch of The Legendary Minstrels represents both a celebration of their shared past and the beginning of a renewed mission to inspire today’s gospel scene with timeless songs and testimonies.