Bhundu Boys – The Bhundu Boys remain one of the best musical groups ever to emerge out of Africa

The Bhundu Boys                                             By                                            Kamangeni Phiri

“THE Bhundu Boys remain the single most natural, effortless, catchy pop band I’ve ever heard”.

Andrew Kershaw, a former BBC radio broadcaster and top disc jockey in the UK could not help gush out superlatives when he was first exposed to the Zimbabwean group’s jit beat in the 80s. His colleague and then fellow DJ, John Peel, was equally entranced by the Bhundu Boys music; he even broke down in tears the first time he saw the band perform live.

Europe and the world were bowled over by the Zimbabwean outfit’s fast-paced and danceable beat, known locally as jit.

The Bhundu Boys remain one of the best musical groups ever to emerge out of Africa. They performed before sell-out crowds and had fans eating out of the palm of their hands at a time when most African artistes were struggling for mere recognition on the global stage.

At the height of their fame in August, 1987, the band played before a fully packed Wembley stadium in England as a supporting act to a then young Madonna, the self-acclaimed queen of pop.

The iconic “Holiday” hit maker, who was one of the biggest selling and performing artist at that time, had asked the Bhundu Boys to be her supporting act for her three night shows dubbed “Who’s That Girl” Tour concert.

A record 216 000 music fans that turned up for the three-day concert were wowed by the Zimbabwean group.  The Wembley show became the genesis of greater things for the Bhundu Boys as they went on to conquer Europe and the United States on their own in their subsequent shows.  They were lauded by celebrated stars like Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello and Madonna. The jit band also shared the stage with legendary country musician, Don Williams. The band played in North America, Australia and Hong Kong while being chauffer driven in limousines.

The group became so popular that at one point they released a series of number one hits, even outselling Michael Jackson with the song ‘Hatisitose.’ The song stayed at the top for 12 weeks.

Credit for the Bhundu Boys’ rise to international fame goes to Owen Elias and Douglas Veitch, also known as Champion Doug, who travelled all the way to Zimbabwe from London in the mid 80s in search of artists to sign for their Discafrique label.

The Bhundu Boys debut album, Shabini, did so well locally and overseas, prompting Owen and Dougie to fly to Harare in search of the group.

It was the two DJs, Andrew and John, who played a big role in promoting the group’s music internationally on their BBC Radio 1 show.  In fact, the two were huge fans. Andrew became a close friend to Bhundu Boys lead vocalist, Biggie Tembo, and was even his best man when the musician wedded his sweetheart, Ratidzai.

But who exactly were these amazing musicians known collectively as the Bhundu Boys?

They were a Zimbabwean five-member boy band that dominated local and international musical charts in the 80s. Like other contemporary bands, they kick-started their career by playing cover versions of western and American music at local beerhalls and community halls.

Their claim to fame is anchored on mega hits like Simbimbino, Babamunini Francis, Tsvimbo Dzemoto, Jekesa and Chitima Kwe, among many others.

The group was already a local phenomenon by the time they were discovered by erstwhile music producer and engineer, Steve Roskilly, who produced and recorded The Bhundu Boys’ early works at his Shed Studio in Harare.  The group’s debut single, “Hatisitose” was released in 1981 and it topped local charts for three consecutive months. They continued to dominate charts in the following years with more national number one hits in “Babamunini Francis”, “Wenhamo Haaneti” and “Ndimboze”.

The group’s name was in honour of the freedom fighters that were coming from the bush after liberating the country from  colonial rule. In later years, the name assumed a metaphoric meaning when it became a reference to the band’s absence from home when it shifted base to UK. Bhundu means bush or the wilderness.

Lead guitarist and singer, Rise Kagona, had assembled the jit outfit in the Capital City, Harare, in April 1980, the same month and year the country attained its independence. The reserved Kagona was also the leader of the band which included lead singer cum guitarist, Biggie Tembo, bassist, David Mankaba, Shakespeare Kangwena on keyboard and drummer Kenny Chitsvatsva.

It was, however, the late affable Biggie, born Mhosva Rodwell Marasha, who became the face of the Bhundu Boys owing to his vocal prowess and stage presence. Most fans and neutrals assumed that Biggie was the band leader, probably because of his eloquence and his voice was behind most of the band’s hits.

Veteran DJ Andrew Kershaw told The Guardian in an interview that the Bhundu Boys were able to conquer the world because “They had great tunes, musicianship and a pop sensibility.”

“They had the personality; and they had the communication skills – few of the other bands actually spoke much English to start with, but the Bhundus could. And they were willing to work. They came from a tradition of very, very hard-working Zimbabwean musicians,” he said.

Reminiscing some years later after their maiden mega show in 1987, the Bhundu Boys founding member and band leader, Rise Kagona, said they managed to conquer Europe and the world because of their unique and original sound.

“We happened to conquer the European market because our music had no noise. Listen to our music. We used to flow; we didn’t have all that crazy noise. Everyone made sure that his instrument is in line with everybody else’s instrument. There was no need to compete on stage, we were not in competition, we were playing music to the audience,” Kagona told Nehanda Radio in an interview.

When the Bhundu Boys’ UK manager, Gordon Muir, snatched the band from Shed Studios and signed them under Warner Records, it marked the beginning of its downfall. The band received £80,000 advance from the recording company which was spent on buying a house by Muir.

The house, which was bought against the will of most band members, was later sold by Muir who claimed the property was repossessed because of an outstanding mortgage loan.

Their first album released under WEA in 1988 flopped as the group dropped a “winning formula” of recording in their native Shona language and started singing in English.

Thereafter, tension began to build within the group. There was also bad blood between the band leader, Kagona, and the group’s spokesperson and lead vocalist, Tembo. Kagona accused Tembo of being a sellout in one of his rare interviews while Tembo also hit back that Kagona was jealousy of his popularity. Tembo further alleged Kagona then was pushing to have more of his songs featured on albums. Eventually Kagona kicked Tembo out of the group.

The Bhundu Boys, now composed of four members, continued to work hard and holding shows despite their lessening popularity. Tembo, on the other hand, tried to go solo but it proved difficult. He tried to rejoin the group but Kagona blocked him. Tembo was found hanging in a suspected case of suicide in 1995.

Without the vocal prowess of Tembo it became increasingly difficult for the Bhundu Boys to lure fans to their shows. The group finally disbanded in the early 2000s.

Sadly, three of the members passed away from AIDS related illnesses. Bassist David Mankaba died in 1991, his replacement Shepherd Munyama died in 1992 and Shakespeare Kangwena died in 1993. Only Kagona and Kenny Chitsvatsva are still alive and are based in Scotland and England respectively.

Music made them and fame destroyed them.