Fred Amugi’s name has become synonymous with acting but he is not
acting anytime he grabs a microphne and breaks into a song with the
acappella group, Epiphany Echoes.

The well-known actor, who was recently awarded a Grand Medal by President J. A. Kufuor for his contribution to the arts, is the leader of the acappella group which he founded with five others in 1979 to add some colour to worship as well as the spiritual upliftment of the congregation of the Presbyterian Church at Kaajaano, South La in Accra.

The six original members of the group were Reginald Tei Agovor, Kinsley Asare Addo, Joseph Omaboe, David Agovor, Stephen Bell Bampoe and Fred Amugi. They won the hearts and confidence of the congregation so much that they were integrated into the programme of worship and have remained so to date.

“Our popularity went beyond the confines of our local congregation as invitations came from sister churches for the group to perform at some of their major functions.

Currently we get lots of invitations to perform at funerals, weddings, birthday parties and other functions,” he said.
“As the invitations for social events increased, we had to learn some secular tunes to beef up our repertoire. We also compose our own songs and we have a collection on the market now called Songs For All Seasons.”

According to Fred, the membership of the group has always remained six since 1979 and the line-up has changed only twice. David Agovor travelled to the United States and was replaced by Ayitei Manley who also left to the United Kingdom for his place to be taken by Francis Obeng.

Fred argues that Epiphany Echoes brought him fame long before he started acting on stage and later in films. He was, however, quick to admit that film has made his name spread much, much farther since he hit the silver screen.

Asked how he reconciles his religious outlook with the bad guy role he often plays in films, he retorted: “That is one of the dangers actors face. You are supposed to make your roles look as real as possible but then, it becomes something else,” he said.
Amugi told Showbiz that his family, church colleagues and other people close to him do not bother at all about what sort of roles he plays in films. He has, however, had some embarrassing moments at the hands of total strangers.

“In 1992 whilst out to monitor the level of patronage for Nkrabea - My Destiny which had just then been released, we went to a chop bar in one of the suburbs of Kumasi to eat. A young lady waitress refused to serve soup on my fufu because she claimed she knew me to be a murderer of children. She had obviously watched Nkrabea and seen the part I played in the film and perhaps was appalled by what she saw. Her mother had to serve me the soup.

“Despite such unpleasant situations, I still do not phantom quiting acting. I know that I will continue my activities in the church and acting till my limps can no longer support me”he said.

Close to his 60th birthday and preparing for retirement this November as the Director of Supplies at the Ministry of Finance, Amugi has been part of over 33 stage and screen productions. He has won awards for acting and is a past Prersident of the Ghana Actors Guild.
Story by E. A. Andam