The organisers of the Ghana Entertainment Awards (GEA-USA) have announced that Ghana’s celebrated sound engineer, producer and songwriter, Jeff Tennyson Quaye, also known as Jay Q, will be honoured at this year’s awards ceremony.
Every year, the Ghana Entertainment Awards USA is held to honour Ghanaian musicians who have made significant contributions to the creative industry and to commemorate their hard work as musicians in Ghana and the USA.
Jay Q, who has been the driving force behind the success of numerous Ghanaian musicians, is set to get recognition for his exceptional contribution to the development of Ghana’s entertainment and creative arts sectors.
The event will take place on July 7 at Kaufman Music Centre’s Merkin Hall, located at 129 West 67th Street in New York, NY 10023.
There will be live performances on stage by several artistes, including Prince Bright of Buk Bak fame.
The awards scheme will also recognise the significant contributions of ace musician, Prince Bright, renowned TV and radio host Deloris Frimpong Manso (Delay), ace radio broadcaster Doreen Andoh, and US-based Ghanaian acts MC Papa Links, DJ E Love, and DJ Prince Paul.
Jay Q, who is the founder of Q-Lex Entertainment and Q-lex Recording Studio and also a CEO, is credited with many hit songs.
He has produced albums for and overseen the careers of many musicians, including Buk Bak, VIP, Castro, Mzbel, Obrafour, Daddy Lumba, Nana Acheampong, Ofori Amponsah, Akosua Agyapong, Obuoba J. A. Adofo, Wulomei, and others.
All these productions of Jay Q in the ’90s were analog and were recorded and produced in Combined House of Music (CHM), Accra.
As a producer, Jay Q is credited as a key figure in the popularisation of hiplife, highlife and gospel.
He introduced Jama (kpanlogo) into hiplife, which became laudable and was accepted in Ghana, Africa and the rest of the World.
In 2003, Jay Q, currently based in the United States of America won an award for Best Sound Engineer in Ghana.
BY George Clifford Owusu