Mfantsipim school incubated Ghana's contemporary gospel music movement

Students at Mfantsipim School in Ghana formed the group Noise of Joy in July 1970 to pioneer contemporary gospel music.

Guitarist Emmanuel Lartey and his peers created a sound that blended rock, soul, and disco elements with Christian themes. While some conservative evangelicals initially viewed electric guitars and modern rhythms as worldly, school tutors and leaders encouraged the students to perform at services and gatherings in Cape Coast.

The group merged with another student group, the Evangels, in January 1972 to become Joyful Way. This new entity combined a Beatles-style guitar sound with piano-led music. Joyful Way expanded its reach by touring nationally in 1972 and appearing on GBC radio. In 1974, the group launched Explosion of Joy, a Boxing Day concert that currently attracts approximately 4,000 patrons each year.

The group also inspired the formation of Calvary Road Singers in 1976, which integrated music with drama and preaching. The musical tradition at Mfantsipim produced many prominent artists, including TVO Lamptey and Patrick Osei-Hwere. While Joyful Way faced challenges and branch closures in the mid-1980s, it eventually resumed its original name in 1996. Meanwhile, Calvary Road influenced the growth of many charismatic churches in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Today, the legacy of these school groups persists through the careers of its alumni and the continued use of contemporary gospel music in churches that once resisted the style.