Oliver Mtukudzi

It was a bittersweet tale of mixed fortunes for Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) for the early weeks of December 2003. One misfortune was her humiliating suspension from membership of the Commonwealth (association of former colonies of Britain) and her subsequent retaliatory withdrawal from the body by long standing president and ex-pro-independence revolutionary Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

The second incident, her good fortune came on a lighter note. One of her most creative sons, ‘Oliver Mtukudzi’ guitar virtuoso, producer extraordinaire, lyricist exceptional and exquisite live performer was crowned ‘Kora’ award winner in the best male musician category from Southern Africa at the 9th ‘Kora’ awards ceremony in Sandton Johannesburg on the 6th of December 2003.This added to a most impressive career that comes on top of the previous year’s accolade for the Best African arrangement. His career that began in the mid 70s (Rumba, Chimurenga fusion outfit Wagon Wheels) has been as eventful as Zimbabwe’s politics right before independence to date.

The fifty three year old (born 1952) largely apolitical ‘Mtukudzi’ was born in the Highfield township of Harare (capital city of Zimbabwe) as eldest child to a family of seven children from the ‘Korekore’ clan who are part of the Shona people that form 71% of the 95% of Zimbabwe’s African populace. Mtukudzi who lost his father in infancy took to a performing career, initially in churches in Highfield as he honed his vocal talents. At the age of twenty-three (1975) he began exploring and performing on the club scene and toyed with the idea of becoming a pop singer. He recorded his debut commercial single ‘stop after orange’ and followed this with another single ‘pezuna’ in 1976.

After this single, Mtukudzi found settlement in the ‘Wagon wheels’ band with compatriot and luminary, the internationally revered ‘Thomas Mapfumo’ who also hails from the Shona group. Mapfumo and John Sithole had been instrumental in orchestrating the ‘chimurenga’ sound of the independence struggle (chimurenga actually means ‘uprising’ in shona) that coincided with the resistance politics of guerrilla movements of Joshua Nkomo and Mugabe. With this band, Mtukudzi recorded the monster hit single ‘dzandimomotera’. Chimurenga depended a lot on the ‘thumb piano’ (mbira)[ considered a spiritual instrument] for its identity.

Thomas Mapfumo

The music scene (club and radio) in Zimbabwe at the time in spite of curfew restrictions for the African community due to the war for independence offered a broad range of styles local and foreign that were not only competing for the ears of local audiences, but were simultaneously vital to the musical evolution of the youthful ‘Mtukudzi’ into a successful fusion musician. It is important to note that Mutukudzi’s overwhelmingly fused style made it difficult to classify his music into general generic categories prevailing at the time. He then became the first artist in Zimbabwe to have a genre named after him. This genre became known as ‘Tuku’ music in the 90s.

On the Zimbabwe local scene (particularly Harare), Soukouss, Mabaqanga, Zulu, Reggae and Soul were as popular as ‘JIT’ (the local pop music, sungura, traditional (for Mtukudzi’s case the rhythmic and percussive ‘kateke’ of his clan) and ‘chimurenga’. Pre-independence radio played songs loved by the settlers for example those of the late Soul singer ‘Otis Redding’ (a singer who popularised the Stax soul label) who was extensively covered by Mtukudzi when still with ‘Wagon wheels’.

‘Mutukudzi’ or ‘Tuku’ as he fondly became regarded branched out of ‘wagon wheels’ in 1978 and performed with a loose group of former ‘wagon wheels’ musicians as they gradually moved towards the formation of a new band ‘Black spirits’ that became Mutukudzi’s back up band. That very year they released ‘Ndipeiwozano’. Pundits claim the split was partially because ‘wagon wheels’ could not afford two stars in its line up in the persons of Mapfumo and Mutukudzi.The second was the differences in the thematic content of ‘wagon wheels’ as Mapfumo preferred a hard line anti-establishment songs as opposed to Mutukudzi’s main pre-occupation with general social concerns. Mutukudzi and friends recorded five albums (including ‘Ndipeiwozano’) in the late seventies: ‘Svoviyangu’, ‘Ndotomuimbua’, ‘Chinhambwe’ and ‘Chokwadi chichabuda’

The actual concretisation of the formation of ‘wagon wheels’ was in 1980 the year when Zimbabwe got its independence with Robert Gabriel Mugabe as premier on the 11th April (fourteen years and seven months after Ian Smiths previous illegitimate Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11th November 1965)(Mugabe later became president in 1987). This event made the 80s offer more liberal opportunities (for the musician community) because the club circuit received improvements for performers and revellers after the termination of curfews. Mutukudzi continued recording but also ventured into drama and film.

He featured in films ‘The Soul of Mbira’ and ‘Under African Skies’ (a BBC production). In this period he also delivered seventeen albums: ‘Africa’ (1980), ‘Murovi ndian’ (1980), ‘Shanje’ (1981), ‘Pfambi’ (1981), ‘Mavngira’ (1982), ‘Please Napito’ (1982), ‘Nzaro’ (1983), ‘Oliver’s greatest hits’ (1983), ‘Hwena Handliase’ (1984), ‘Mhaka’ (1985), ‘Ghona’ (1986), ‘Zuauya sei’ (1986), ‘Wawona’ (1987), ‘Nyanga yenzou’ (1988), ‘Strange isn’t it’ (1988), ‘Sugar pie’ (1988) and ‘Grandpa story’ (1989).

Mutukudzi on these projects maintained his stylistic fusion and thematically married an extensive scope of socio-economic issues preferring to subtly handle the political situation during this period. His covert presentation of politics made him evade the dilemma faced by his contemporary ‘Thomas Mapfumo’ who was imprisoned in 1977 for the politically charged single ‘Hokoya (Watch out’. H.I.V/A.I.D.S, Alcoholism, domestic relations (and the broader discourses he offered on the family) were major issues that Tuku sang about. .Many of his songs are real life experiences supported by a skilful allegorical presentation.

The song ‘Todi’ for instance released in 1999 came on the heels of Oliver’s loss of a brother (Robert) and three members of his band to A.I.D.S. According to the C.I.A. world report by 1999 1.5 million Zimbabweans were living with the disease. His choice of Shona, Ndebele and English were crucial to the generation of his music’s cross-cultural appeal. Despite his cordial relations with the establishment, Oliver Mutukudzi’s big voice akin to Pat Shange of Johnny Gill is a leader of the musical protest against the socio-economic and political status quo in Zimbabwe from his early years in the band ‘Wagon wheels’.

Oliver Mtukudzi’s silver screen endeavours proceeded in the 90s and like his songs, he focused more on socially relevant documentaries. ‘Was my child’ for instance released in 1995 highlighted the plight of street children and got him an award from the Zimbabwe Writer’s Union. Preceding ‘Was my child’ was ‘JIT’ where he featured as protagonist and the critically successful ‘Neria’ where he starred as Neria’s brother and scored the soundtrack which beat ‘Mbongemi Ngema’s’ ‘Sarafina’ soundtrack for the M-net Television channel’s best soundtrack in 1992.

Mtukudzi continued his delivery of music through the 90s and did not only sustain his two albums a year ambition but further adjusted his sound and stage formation to incorporate more percussion, female vocalists and acoustic guitars. These supplemented the congas , piano, drums, keyboards and xylophones that were evident in many of the projects he released within this period.

‘Chikonzi’ (1990), ‘Pass Pass Hallo’ (1990), ‘Shoko’ (1990),‘Mutorwa’ (1991), ‘Rombe’ (1992), ‘Rumbidzai Jehova’ (1992), ‘Neria Soundtrack’ (1992), ‘Son of Africa’ (1993), ‘Ziwere Mukoben havn’ (1994), ‘Was my child’ (1995), ‘The Other side: Live in Switzerland’ (1995) which became Zimbabwe’s first live album; ‘Ndega Zvangu’ (1997), ‘Dzangu drive’ (1998) and ‘Tuku music’ (1999). ‘Tuku music’ in particular raked mainstream success globally as it spent 11 weeks on the CMJ world music charts.

The new millennium saw more albums from Mtukudzi following the trend setting volumes of the previous two decades.

‘Paivepo’ (2000), ‘Bvuma (tolerance)’(2001), ‘Greatest hits’ (Tuku years) 98-02, ‘Vunze Moto (burning ember)’ (2002) and ‘The Oliver Mtukudzi collection’ (2003) were projects that came through from Mutukudzi.

Oliver Mutukudzi has successfully shared his creative works with the local and global audiences through his screen appearances and his affiliation with the American based world music label ‘Putumayo’ that release a bulk of his past and present recordings. His live performances in America, Europe, Africa (West and South), his regular participation at the ‘Koras’ and his involvement with the Southern African musical collective MAHUBE (which means New Dawn in Tswana) which has garnered him global billings are strategies that have advanced the popularity of Mutukudzi.

MAHUBE is made up of George Phiri (from Malawi) who plays lead guitar. Steve Dyer from South Africa on Saxophone, Barry Van Zyl from South Africa, Oliver Mutukudzi from Zimbabwe, Suthukazi Arosi on vocals from South Africa, Phinada Mtya from South Africa on vocals, Saxophonist Scorpion Madondo from South Africa, Feya Faku on trumpet from South Africa, Thale Makhene on percussion from Swaziland, Herbie Tsaoeli on Bass guitar from South Africa; Sean Fourie and Andice yenana both on Keyboards from South Africa.

Mutukudzi toured different countries with MAHUBE .1994 Austria and Switzerland; South Africa; 1997 Holland, Germany, Zimbabwe and South Africa. They also released the album titled MAHUBE; 1999 USA and Canada.

The astute businessman Mutukudzi not only runs a grocery store in Zimbabwe but also owns the rights to his music through his Tuku/Ikwezi music publishing company. The ownership of rights has allowed Mutukudzi to license his music to multiple record and media companies. Many of his albums have been released and re-released by labels such as ‘Sheer’, Zimbabwe Music Corporation (ZMC), Putumayo, Earth Song, Shava, La Bleu, Coinnoseur Coll.

Inspite of past successes Mutukudzi was bigger at home and abroad. Pundits however reckon that in the next five years Mutukudzi is destined for greater heights globally as was the case with Thomas ‘The Lion of Zimbabwe’ Mapfumo.