About Us
Cheef Chebe
olCheef Chebe (also known as Suleman Chebe, Soulay Puliman, Chief Chebe, Hamisi Koroo, Frank McChebe, Bapulima Chebe, Latif, Pulimjasco, Avenger….), is a Glasgow African Musician, author, storyteller, bibliotherapist, foodian, laughter coach, happiness guru, composer, producer, director, performer, great entertainer, a larger-than-life character, and much more in spirit and soul!
With roots in Ghana, Cheef Chebe married a Scottish lady (Helen Chebe) and migrated to Scotland in 1997 where he has been working as a multi-dimensional performing artist and African community champion.
Cheef Chebe’s folklorist and storytelling approach to music ignites the transformative potential of ancestral rhythms, fostering healing and community. He accomplishes this through the mesmerizing rhythms of the Djembe drum and his ancestral heritage’s most precious instrument, the enchanting Jangda or Balafon, to produce and share organic music with creative healing energies in awesome synergies that are relished by diverse audiences throughout Glasgow, Scotland, Ghana, Africa and all around the world.
In terms of recorded music, Cheef Chebe is both a veteran composer and new beginner. Cheef Chebe grew up in an oral tradition in Ghana where music (especially storytelling music) is a fundamental part of community life.
Chebe’s experience in composing and recording music took a fresh turn when he arrived in Scotland. There, he met and jammed with a jazz drummer who recorded his first three unreleased songs in a home studio. That marked the start of a new chapter, infusing his traditional balafon into modern music.
Like many others that followed, Chebe’s first three tracks were never released. He also carried out and accomplished other recording projects that were never released:
- New Glaswegian: This was Chebe’s first recorded EP produced at Core Studios on Osborne Street between 2003 and 2005.
- Ghana @ 50: Unreleased single in 2007 to celebrate Ghana’s Independence
- Sissala Music Album: Recorded with a touring group that Cheef Chebe brought from Ghana to celebrate the bicentenary of the abolishing of Transatlantic Slave Trade
- First recorded Solo Album: Ambatayala @ Ivy Studio in Kokrobitey, Accra, Ghana (2008/2009)
- Jungle Fever Album with GABO (released in October, 2020)
- Lift Album with GABO (release date: 11th of October, 2024)
- Lift Up Album with GABO (release date: November, 2024)
Notable Artistic and Community Engagement Contributions
- Founder and Music Director of Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra (GABO) GABO collective (@gabo_sounds) • Instagram photos and videos
- Musical Poet (BBC Rhyme Rocket) CBeebies | The Rhyme Rocket – S01 Episode 8 (Transport) – YouTube
- Winner of Come Dine with Me 2016 (In and around Glasgow)
Come dine with Kilsyth’s Suleman (glasgowworld.com)
Come Dine with Me – Glasgow – Jane, Suleman, Jamie, Anna – TheTVDB.com
- Radio Scotland Interview of Chebe as Chair of African Caribbean Network about the impact of Nelson Mandela on Africans around the world.
- Former Chair of Ghana Welfare Association in Scotland
- Founding member of African Council, Scotland
- Founder and music director of Kilsyth International Carnival (KIC)
- Musical poet with BBC Rhyme Rocket
- Professional Author: Cheef Chebe is a registered author in the Scottish Book Trust Live Literature Database (Frank McChebe – Scottish Book Trust). He is the author and self-publishing author of many books including:
- African Dream
- Re-incarnation
- Kasimo Expedition to Bolgatanga
- Kasimo Goes to Dwarf Village
- Kasimo and Teacher Moses
For further information contact Cheef Chebe!