Highlife legend, Alfred Benjamin Crentsil, popularly known as A.B. Crentsil, is reported to have died on Wednesday, 13 July 2022, at age 79.
A.B. Crentsil was one of the ‘big three’ of contemporary Ghanaian vocalists. Crentsil won numerous Ghanaian music awards, including the Fontomfrom Evergreen Award, a special honor bestowed upon a musician with 15–20 years of continuous music experience.
Some of his popular songs include ‘Sweet talks,’ ‘Atia,’ ‘I go pay you tomorrow,’ ‘Ayen,’ ‘Juliana,’ ‘Obi Bawiase’ and the controversial ‘Moses.’
A.B Crentsil was born in Prestea. He attended Takoradi Methodist Primary and Rev Cleveland Middle School for his primary and middle school education, respectively. After middle school, AB worked as an electrical apprentice under his father, the Works Superintendent of the technical branch of Ghana Railways at Takoradi.
In middle school, AB Crentsil became proficient in the guitar and started singing along when playing it. Soon after, he was simultaneously working as an electrician and playing with the Strollers Band, owned by one Kwesi Donkor.
Crentsil has played with the El Dorados, the Sweet Talks – which latter group in the 1970s under the joint leadership of Crentsil and Smart Nkansah. They were also the resident band at The Talk of The Town Hotel in Tema, with Crentsil as a lead singer.
