Hilton Mambo, Top Entertainer Who Failed to Outgrow the Ghetto
By Kamangeni Phiri
“Dr Bobo”, a fictitious villain character from a radio play in the mid-1970s, enjoyed rare fame when he was brought to life by Hilton Mambo, a talented actor who assumed the name for four decades.
The late Mambo, a celebrated radio personality in his time, played the role of the dim-witted character to perfection in the drama, Enemy of the Bad, resulting in the hypothetical cleansing of the villain.
“I played the character Dr Bobo, a villain in Enemy of the Bad where another character, Jason Zonk, was the hero. The name just stuck with me from then up to now,” he once said.
The commitment and professionalism he displayed in the portrayal of Dr Bobo was to be the hallmark of his illustrious career in the arts.
Dr Bobo, as a name, has several meanings but the ones that stick out are silly, foolish, idiot or half-wit.
But the man was far divorced from the fictitious character he immortalised.
In real life, Hilton was a good-natured, intelligent, wise and talented person who loved his music and beer.
Mambo was an accomplished actor, broadcaster, musician, producer and a master of ceremonies all rolled into one.
He cut his teeth in music with the likes of Clancy Mbirimi and David Ndoro as the Groovy Union in the early 70s and then played with several bands in that period including Boyke Moore’s Soul and Blues Union.
He at one point worked as a recording engineer with Zimbabwe’s greatest music giants that include Thomas Mapfumo and the late artistes; Oliver Mtukudzi, Zexie Manatsa, Simon Chimbetu and Crispen Mathema.
Mambo talked about his deep love for music in an interview with NewsDay, two months before his death.
“My life has always been music and I have been gaining experience and know-how in broadcasting and recording engineering. I have also developed the ability to reach out and touch people’s lives in a positive way,” said Mambo.
He used to command a huge following during his heydays after he made popular his slot called the “Mumbo Jumbo’s World” on the then Radio 3 now Power FM.
He would also be remembered for working as a sound engineer for the then popular road show, Surf Show-pick a Box, which was a hit in the early 1980’s. He also worked on Jarzin man, another popular radio program that was later hosted by another radio legend, Admire Taderera.
Mambo’s husky voice and his being a top presenter kept many listeners glued to their radios in the 1980s and 1990s.
However, others suspected the huskiness could have been a result of drinking.
“It’s natural, I haven’t done a thing to it, my voice sounds the same today as it did 50 years ago when I cried at birth,” he once said in 2001 in an interview.
His presentations were phenomenal especially when he was presenting his favourite programme – Jazz Hour on Spot FM now Classic 263.
He was an avid jazz music lover who also presented educational programmes.
Although Mambo was a colossal figure in the show-biz industry, he was surprisingly small in stature. His husky voice helped him become one of the most wanted master of ceremonies in the country.
On his return from the UK in 2009, Mambo was requested by the then SFM management to come and present a show and help impart his vast radio experience to the new breed of presents like Ronald Chiwanza (D train). He took over the Sunday morning Show from 9AM to 12PM. Hilton also presented the “Jazz Hour” every Monday and Wednesday afternoon alternating with Noah Matselele.
He was well versed about music in Zimbabwe since his days growing up as a teenager in Mbare.
“He would tell you about every musician who has ever recorded an album in the country. This man was a great broadcaster and musician who will be sorely missed by his fans,” said music critic and journalist, Vivian Maravanyika.
Besides music, Hilton deeply loved Dynamos FC, a club he started following at the tender age of 15.
Born in 1951, Mambo was bred in the capital’s Mbare Township where he attended Harare Secondary School.
Hilton assumed iconic status in Mbare. He was the local champion — and beyond. He would go back to his roots to provide entertainment despite his growing fame. Hilton had pleasant memories of the suburb although Mbare had deteriorated to a shanty suburb that haboured criminals.
They called him Kambezo in Mbare, probably in honour of his colossal talents in the arts and his ability to guzzle beer in spite of his small frame. Some of his contemporaries say the man also enjoyed reading novels and read at least 10 000 novels.
During the peak of his career on air, Mambo worked with DJs like Eunice Goto, Kudzi Marudza, Comfort Mbofana, Tsitsi Mawarire, Admire Taderera, John Matinde, James Makamba and Kelvin Sifelani.
Mambo briefly relocated to UK in the mid 2000s where he worked as a club DJ and came back home in 2009 due to poor health.
One of his former workmates, veteran radio presenter, James “JCJ” Makamba said in his condolence message in 2011: “Kambezo belonged to a rare breed of entertainers. He was a writer, composer, singer, conductor, producer, a rare combination in the industry enjoyed by legends such as Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Wonder among others. I have worked with him for 13 years. He was a friend and artist I admired with great resilient. Kambezo will truly be missed by the recording and entertainment industry in Southern Africa and England where he lived for some time. A great guy indeed and a dear friend, will miss him.”
Mambo passed away on June 12 in 2011 at the Avenues Clinic after succumbing to hernia.
He was 60.
Mambo is survived by his wife, Eleanor, four children: Catherine, Devon, Hilton Jr and Caryn, and six grandchildren.
The jazz fraternity still misses Dr Bobo’s husky voice, 11 years after his death.
