Music indeed is a universal language that transcends ones culture irrespective of whether they know the language being used to compose or sing the music.

This came to light in Ghana recently where one of the country legendry bands, The Ramblers International Band, performed at the Presidential banquet for the countrys 50th anniversary celebrations.

The bands performance would indeed remain imprinted in the minds of those who turned up to the prestigious occasion where everyone seemed to be at their best in terms of clothing and general grooming.

The Band started off on a mellow note with laid back tunes until when it was time to eat and then they started dishing out melodious sounds that left everyone tapping their feet and nodding their heads with appreciation.

Unfortunately President Festus Mogae who was invited for the occasion was not part of the crowd that saw the Ramblers Band perform as he was somewhere else with other Presidents from around the African continent.

One of the Botswana Daily Editors Nathaniel Motshabi could not hold his curiosity back and said I should write a story about the Ramblers International Band.

They are not an ordinary band, why do you think they have been called upon to perform at this prestigious occasion.

It was indeed a night full of activity and as we could not speak to the man behind the band as we wished, we arranged an interview with him at his place in one of the northern surburbs of Accra, the Capital City of Ghana.

The drive to the place took as through a winding road that I can not even describe as we kept on asking for directions constantly until we found our way there.

Our arrival was very much awaited for and when we entered into the house we were both offered a glass of water and they say it is Ghanaian hospitality that when one visits somebody elses residence for the first time, they are given a glass of water.

Gerry Hansen easily breaks into conversation and he says it is his years of entertaining people that has made him much more approachable.

I mean as a musician you work for the people and as such you are their slave and not the master, it is unfortunate that some musicians have their noses up in the air, yet their bread and butter depends on the very same people they look down upon, he said.

He says he enjoys playing the saxophone and also knows a host of other instruments instruments such the guitar percussions and even singing when the need arises.

He comes out as a man who did not have everything given to him in a silver plate as he had to carry musical instruments first before he could find his way into playing any of them.

He says he begun messing around with musical instruments when he was admitted at Seventh Day Adventist school where his then teacher used to bring the Church to life when he got up to play.

Jerry says their music is high life music, which he said is a combination of rhumba and jazz, this is what we call the roots of Ghanaian music, he said.

Hansen says he spent most of his life travelling around the world and that it all started in 1952 when he joined the Black Bleats and then in 1961 he left to form the current Ramblers International Band.

He does not want to mention what made his leave the Black Beats he does like like waking up sleeping dogs.

One of the memories that would remain rankling at the back of his mind is when his band entertained the Queen when she visited Ghana just before the over throw of Kwame Nkurumah.

His house in Accra/Ghana is littered with countless awards both from home and abroad especially from the United States where he lived for about 20 years and formed a branch of the Ramblers International Band.

At the Age of 80, Jerry is married to Rosemary Mark Hansen and they have about seven children and the only female Mildred Hansen is a singer with Tripple M band.

The wife who was there throughout the interview says she does not sing with the band but she knows when somebody is not doing anything right but that she only sings the Church Choir.

Two of his children are vocalists with the Ramblers International Band in Ghana and the United States and that to date the band has released about 28 albums and 1-hundred and eight singles, I do not have a favourite album or song because I love them all, he adds with a chuckle.

He says age has caught up with him and all he does is guide and direct his band in all their endeavours locally and around the world to keep their music alive.