SOGHAM reaches out to Veronica Lamisi
It was all smiles on the face of singer Veronica Lamisi recently when a three-member delegation from the Society of Ghana Musicians (SOGHAM) showed up with a brand new wheelchair for her and also settled her bills when she was discharged after admission for a surgical procedure at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
Money to help Lamisi, who was a singer with the Falcons band of the Airborne Force in Tamale, as well as with Sumsum, Ahenfo and Gold Nuggets bands, was contributed by SOGHAM members spread around the world.
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Lamisi said she was grateful to SOGHAM for coming to her aid at that crucial time in her life.
The association came about when drummer Siisi Frank died in mid-December 2019 and some of his colleague musicians, both in Ghana and abroad, came together through a WhatsApp platform to make monetary and other contributions for his funeral in mid-January this year.
An idea then popped up that the <I>WhatsApp<$> platform created for the funeral fund-raising could be transformed into a welfare group for members as well as an outfit to advocate development of the music industry in Ghana.
Currently with a membership of about 170, one of SOGHAM’s key aims is to foster close relationship between Ghanaian live band musicians active from the 1960s till now.
Membership is now drawn from musicians who played with some of the best-known bands in this country. These include Sappers, Sweet Beans, Ramblers, Carousel 7, Powerful Mercury, Black Beats, Western Diamonds, Boulders, Marriots, Complex Sounds, Classique Vibes, Pelicans, Edikanfo and Hedzoleh Soundz.
Others are Watu Wazuri, Sweet Talks, Dutch Benglos, Apollo High Kings, Uhuru, Gaylords, Ionic Revolt, Wango Wango, Los Cubanos, Boombaya, Waza Afriko, Guest Matari, Barbecues and Stax Dynamics.
There are some well-known solo acts as well as members from Ghanaian bands formed abroad such as Osibisa, Chikale, Vitamin X, Roots Anabo, Nkalenka, Cohana and Black Earth.
The members are in Ghana, Australia, Canada, United States, Germany, Denmark, Holland, United Kingdom, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa and other places. Multi-instrumentalist Desmond Ababio, who is leader of the Alpha Waves band, is SOGHAM’s Acting President.
SOGHAM has also reached out to help other colleagues in trying conditions in Ghana.