Leonard “Musoro Wenyoka” Dembo

The Profile Of Leonard “Musoro Wenyoka” Dembo

By Joel Masuka

Had this music maestro been born and produced his music in a country like America, he would have been comparable to classical artists like Ottis Redding, Percy Sledge, Wilson Picket etc and would have died, a multimillionaire, in US dollar terms.  In contemporary times, I would not find someone to compare Dembo’s musical reservoir with, as his music still stands in a class of its own, long after his death. ( Food For Thought).

Leonard “Musoro Wenyoka” Dembo was born on the 6^th of February 1959. Regarded as one of the best if not the best sungura musician in Zimbabwe. The renowned songwriter and guitarist died on the 9^th of April in 1996. One of his Masterpiece songs “Chitekete” propelled him into the hall of fame and incredible stardom.

Chitekete, which cut across all age barriers, is a musical masterpiece of colossal success, which rocked kids in the streets as much as it rocked grown up men and women, not to mention the elderly as well. Up to this very day this song, has stood the test of of time. Chitekete not only broke continental but International boundaries as well, when the whole world was treated to this masterpiece, as it was played as the signature tune, during one of the most unforgettable event, the Miss World Pageant, held in Namibia in 1996.

Born Kwangwarai Gwaindepi, to his mother Sukai Pasipanodya, Dembo grew up without his father and nothing much has been told about the whereabouts of his father, as he grew up. There are others who argue that his birth name was Leonard Tazvivinga, the last name of which they attribute to his absent father.

Leonard Dembo’s early childhood lacks details but some of his early songs speak to to a child growing up in the absence of a father and the resultant poverty. The songs like Nhamo iya ndakura nayo, Nhamo moto, as well as Babamunini. His 1984 single Mai nevana vavo seems to cap it all, by mirroring their mother, to the character who he sang about in this song. His mother stuck to her children, even in the face of her children’s challenging upbringing and in abject poverty.

In his early childhood, Dembo used to herd cattle around Barura Mountains in Buhera district of Manicaland hence he dedicated this mountain’s name to his famous and formidable band, Barura Express.

Having left Buhera to live in the city of Bulawayo, Dembo attended part of his Primary school there, before moving to Harare where he would continue with his primary education.

Dembo did not manage to go through secondary education, after completing his primary education but instead moved back to Bulawayo, where he would engage in both odd work and also trying to perfect his musical artistry.

Dembo had to relocate back to Harare after 1980, where he envisioned that the capital city would afford him a better chance to excel in his music career.

It was in Harare, where Dembo wedded his wife Eunice Munatsi,  in August of 1994 with whom he begets two sons Morgan and Tendai as well as a daughter by the name of Fenistia

The Evolution of Dembo’s Musical Career

In his pursuit for an environment which would help propel his Stardom, Dembo found himself living in Zvimba communal lands where he would occasionally play music with the Chinyani brothers, Cyril and Eugene. This was at Mubaira hotel in Murombedzi Township or Five Miles. While working at this hotel, most of the time, he would be relegated to the position of a doorman instead of playing music.

There was yet another band called the Outsiders, which was owned owned by David Zvome which Dembo later joined, this band was already a well-established and popular outfit in the local circles and countrywide, it had already produced relatively popular tracks such as “Tendai vaMugabe” and “Grace”

During the time he played music with the Outsiders, Dembo would always be afforded the opportunity to lay his hand on the mic,unlike in his preceding outfit. It was here where Dembo would unleash his distinctive musical prowess, which saw him release the track “Maiguru” and immediately thereafter, released his first masterpiece “Venenzia”, which took the whole nation by surprise and engulfed Zimbabwe’s musical sphere, in reverence.

Dembo’s Association with the Outsiders was not going to last long, due to some disagreements on band management issues. In his musical migratory journey, which saw him joining the band by the name of Five Notes, Dembo broke the musical charts with some of his early hits “manga majaira matsotsi” and “Dambudzo”

By now Dembo had managed to amass a sizeable reputation and fame and had entrenched himself deeply in Zimbabwe’s musical world, featuring his idiosyncratic lead guitarist skills coupled with his enticing voice. It was at this point in 1985, that Dembo formed his formidable band the Barura Express

The Barura Express

Soon after forming his band, the Barura Express, Dembo went on to unleash a barrage of song releases, masterpiece after masterpiece, as if they were coming from a bottomless music arsenal, Chitekete would rank the highest among Dembo’s musical armoury. Below is the chronological sequence or timeline of Dembo’s songs.

Nhamo moto 1986

Sharai 1987

Kuziva mbuya huudzwa 1989

Kukura kwedu 1988

Ruva rashe 1989

Kukura hakutane 1990

Chitekete 1991

Tinokumbira mazano 1993

Nzungu ndamenya 1994

Paw paw 1994

Shiri yakana 1995

and Babamunini 1996

Most of his fans argue that Chitekete, compared to Venenzia ranked far much higher, in terms of lyrics and the tantalizing instrumental mastery. It is Chitekete that served as an icing his musical cake and also the masterpiece which launched his career into Dembo’s stardom. Most people, myself included, have a sentimental attachment to this song, which has graced, innumerable weddings and other countless social functions, from all walks of life. Chitekete is also the song which was voted to be a Zimbabwe Silver Jubilee song and this is the song that arguably has stood the test of time. During the first 3 months of its release, Chitekete had sold 100,000 copies. The song appealed to the hearts and minds of both Dembo’s fans and critics, due to its tantalizing arrangement of his lyrics and its smooth flowing melodical streaming as well as its alluring instrumental arrangement.

During his illustrious musical career, Dembo at one stage, had the privilege to share the stage with other famous African musicians such as Kanda Bongo Man and Sakis at the Harare International Conference Centre.