Veteran Ghanaian highlife musician Jonathan Adofo, widely known as Obuoba JA Adofo, has revealed that he initially refused to support his son’s ambition of becoming a professional musician because he feared the dangers he believed existed within Ghana’s music industry.

Speaking in an interview with media personality Nayas, the celebrated highlife icon explained that his original plan was for his son, Rubean Adofo, also known as Adofo Jnr, to pursue a career in technology instead of entertainment.

According to him, he enrolled his son in a computer engineering programme, hoping he would build a future outside music. However, Adofo Jnr remained determined to continue the family’s musical legacy.

“I enrolled him in a computer school, but he refused to continue. He insisted that he wanted to follow in my footsteps and become a musician. I told him I couldn’t allow it because, during my prime, there was a lot of juju in the music industry. If you weren’t careful, someone could destroy your life,” he said.

Obuoba JA Adofo explained that his concerns were shaped by experiences from the height of his own career, claiming that intense rivalry and alleged spiritual attacks made the music business a dangerous profession. He recalled that the deaths of several musicians during that era left him convinced that success in the industry often attracted jealousy and unseen battles.

Despite his reservations, the highlife legend said he eventually embraced his son’s decision after witnessing his commitment and importance to the survival of the family’s renowned band. He disclosed that when the original members of the City Boys Band International departed, Adofo Jnr stepped in and helped keep the group alive at a time when it faced collapse.

Today, Adofo Jnr serves as the leader of the City Boys Band International after officially taking over from his father. The group, founded by Obuoba JA Adofo, has earned widespread recognition for its live highlife performances and has entertained audiences across Ghana and several African countries over the years.

Reflecting on the journey, Obuoba JA Adofo acknowledged that although he once opposed his son’s musical ambitions, he now considers him the man who preserved the band’s legacy, allowing one of Ghana’s most respected highlife groups to continue thriving across generations.