GHANAIAN Alfred Benjamin Crentsil, better known by his stage as A.B. Crentsil, passed away at the age of 79.
The artist passed away on July 13, 2022, at The Bank Hospital in Accra. He was known for a number of famous songs, including Devil, Atia, Juliana, I Go Pay You Tomorrow, Papa Shamo, and Ayen, among others.
A.B.Crentsil, one of the "big three" modern Ghanaian artists from the West, was born in Prestea in the Western Region in 1943.
He received many accolades for his music in Ghana, including the Fontomfrom Evergreen Award, a particular honour given to a performer with 15 to 20 years of nonstop music-making.
He attended Takoradi Methodist Primary and Rev. Cleveland Middle School for his elementary and middle school studies, respectively. After passing his middle school exams, A.B.Crentsil began working as an electrical apprentice for his father, a works superintendent at Ghana Railways' technical branch in Takoradi.
A.B. Crentsil was introduced to the guitar by a Mr. Thedoh while he was in middle school. As A.B.Crentsil honed his guitar skills, he began to sing along as he played.
He was performing with Kwesi Donkor's Strollers Band while also working as an electrician. Ahenfo's A.B.Crentsil has shared the stage with groups like El Dorados, Sweet Talks, and his own.
A.B. Crenstil, a Highlife veteran, never shied away from working with younger people to create stunning remixes of his older tracks. One such partnership was with Bice Osei Kuffour, also known as Obour, who is the current MD of Ghana Post and a former president of MUSIGA. They collaborated on the CD Best of the Lifes.
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 11 am, Graphic Showbiz went to his home in Tema Community 9, where a family member informed this reporter that she was unable to confirm or refute the rumours of A.B.Crentsil's passing.
A family delegation has been despatched to the Bank Hospital in Cantonments, Accra, where A.B. Crentsil has been admitted for almost a month, she claims, and they also woke up to the news.
She said that the information could not be verified until the delegation had left the hospital and returned.