Bob Johnson born Ishmael Johnson (1904-1985)  also known as The original Bobwas a comedian in Ghana who started the one-man show to concert party. Background Bob Johnson together with Bob Cole begun the concert party tradition in Ghana. The two made the concert party very popular in Ghana. He formed his first group called Versatile Eightthat consisted of three principal characters; the joker,the gentleman and lady impersonator. The group first performed in Sekondi Methodist School with Bob playing the role of the joker. The seamen who visited the Optimism club nicknamed him Bob because he successfully performed a wild combination of Western black face minstrels and mischievous, trickster Ananse -  hero of Akan folklore. Concert party was popularized by Bob Johnson by turning it into enactments of Ananse stories and travelled to villages to masses that had no access to television. Most of his audience were less westernized though the play was in English it was occasionally translated into Akan. In 1935, he became the joker for the Axim Trio while E.K Dadson played ‘Susanna’ and Charlie Turpin, the ‘gentleman’ . Concert Party groups (1950 - 1960)%DIFDELCMD < %DIFDELCMD < %%% Kakaiku's group, the Ghana Trio, the Jaguar Jokers, Onyina's Royal Trio, Kwaa Mensah's group, the Happy Stars (of Nsawam), I.E. Mason's (in which Koo Nimo made his debut in 1968), Yamoahs, Doctor K. Gyasi's Noble Kings (the first to use keyboards and horns), the Workers Brigade concert party, and later F. Kenya's Riches Big Sound, Nana Some notable Ghanaian Concert groups which sprang up in the fifties and sixties were the Kakaiku's group, the Ghana Trio, the Jaguar Jokers, Onyina's Royal Trio, Kwaa Mensah's group, the Happy Stars (of Nsawam), I.E. Mason's, Yamoahs, Doctor K. Gyasi's Noble Kings, the Workers Brigade concert party, and later F. Kenya's Riches Big Sound .
Bob Johnson born Ishmael Johnson (1904-1985) , also known as The Original Bob, was an Ghanaian comedian who started the one-man show to concert party. Background Johnson and Bob Cole begun the concert party tradition in Ghana. Johnson formed Versatile Eight, which consisted of three principal characters; the joker,the gentleman and lady impersonator. The group first performed in Sekondi Methodist School with Johnson playing the joker. The audience at the Optimism club nicknamed him Bob . Johnson performed a combination of Western black face minstrels and the trickster Ananse - a hero of Akan folklore. Johnson took his show to villages throughout Ghana. The show was usually performed in English, but was occasionally translated into Akan. In 1935, Johnson became the "joker" for the Axim Trio while E.K Dadson played ‘Susanna’ and Charlie Turpin, the ‘gentleman’ %DIFDELCMD < %DIFDELCMD < %%% .
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Kakaiku's group, the Ghana Trio, the Jaguar Jokers, Onyina's Royal Trio, Kwaa Mensah's group, the Happy Stars (of Nsawam), I.E. Mason's (in which Koo Nimo made his debut in 1968), Yamoahs, Doctor K. Gyasi's Noble Kings (the first to use keyboards and horns), the Workers Brigade concert party, and later F. Kenya's Riches Big Sound, Nana Some notable Ghanaian Concert groups which sprang up in the fifties and sixties were the Kakaiku's group, the Ghana Trio, the Jaguar Jokers, Onyina's Royal Trio, Kwaa Mensah's group, the Happy Stars (of Nsawam), I.E. Mason's, Yamoahs, Doctor K. Gyasi's Noble Kings, the Workers Brigade concert party, and later F. Kenya's Riches Big Sound