Celebrating Tuku’s second anniversary
IT is exactly two years since singer, songwriter, music producer, actor and entrepreneur Oliver Mtukudzi passed away. He died at The Avenues Clinic in Harare on January 23, 2019. Today, we celebrate some of the great moments in this icon’s life.
I begin by deliberately making an adaptation from the poem Funeral Blues by WHAud en and hereby state: “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, turn off the bloody internet, prevent the dog from barking, silence the pianos, switch off the radio, turn off the television, cutoff your WhatsApp, let aeroplanes circle and start scribbling on the sky: ‘Let’s Celebrate Tuku.’"
Tuku, Nzou, Samanyanga, Senior Superstar, Dr Mtukudzi was a legend. The response to the news of his demise on social media from all over the world is testament to his iconic status, Zimbabwe’s gift to Africa and beyond. No other artiste in Zimbabwe has yet matched his level since his death.
His voice will continue to be heard all over the world for years to come. With 66 albums recorded, neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase Tuku’s good works. Some of these albums are: Africa, Chikonzi, Nyanga YeNzou, Shanda, Shoko, Zi were, Chin ha mb we, Ivai Navo, Sugar Pie, Muk om be We Mvura. Maungira, Tuku Music, Nhava, Ru dav iro,N deg aZ vangu,Svo vi Yangu,D air ai, Grand Pa’ s Story, Sarawoga, Ndega Zvangu, Paivepo, Bv um a-Tol era nce,Vhunze Mo to, Ts ivo,T sim ba Itsoka,D air ai and Hany’ga.
According to his last manager, Walter Wanyanya, another album, which Tuku wrote before his death titled HelloAbiangu2, is in the making and is about to be released soon.
Tuku wrote a song for everyone as his lyrics touched on almost all social and political issues. It was only the other day that I was listening to his song Mabasa, which he wrote long before Covid-19 broke out when I thought to myself this man was also a prophet. Check out some of the lyrics on this song: Ndozwiwudzaaniko Ku ti kw a it am ab asap a no Tumiraim here ku va ku ru ku no kwaitamabasa Misodziy ape rah a pan av ac hachema Zwakurwa dz ira mu mo yo chinya r ari re (chin y ar ari re) Iko ku bat am a wok oh a ku china chiremerera Kw afumuk au kozwic ha bats irei ko(kwafumuka) Aw uzi wu chen jeri ku sa rat aka raramavarume Kan ak uri kung war auko ti ch avigw ana niko( nani) Although this song was written during the time of the Aids pandemic, it is also relevant for the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mtukudzi was born on September 22, 1952 in Highfield, Harare. He was the son of Samson Mtukudzi and Jessica Mudarikwa of Madziwa village near Mount Darwin. He was the first born in a family of six children — the other five siblings being Marjory, Bybit, Robert, Beaulah and Mildred. At the age of seven Tuku went to Chipembere and Mbizi primary schools and later on to Highfield Community Secondary School.
He began his musical career at the age of 10 in 1962 when he danced on top of a table before his parents who had no idea that he was preparing himself for a future career in music. In 1971, he left school to start a full-time music career. It was not easy at first because his parents did not approve. It was only after he had learned to play the guitar and started bringing money to the family that his parents began to reluctantly accept his interest in music. Tuku later met Moses Kabubi who gave him further lessons in guitar playing before he went to record a single called Pezuma together with his sister Bybit, who was the singer then.
He later joined the Wagon Wheels band in 1977 where Thomas Mapfumo and James Chimombe were also members of the band.
Taking several of the musicians from Wagon Wheels with him, he formed a new group which he called the Black Spirits in 1979. They recorded the single Dzandimomotera, which sold enough copies to qualify for gold record status.
Together they also recorded Ndipeiwo Zano, Africa and Rufu Ndimadz on go nye dze.
On February 24, 1979, Mtukudzi got married to Melody Murape with whom he had two children, Sandra and Selmor. They later divorced in 1981 when he met and married Daisy Mashonga with whom he also had two children, the late Sam Mtukudzi who died in a car accident in 2010, and Samantha .
As a solo artiste, Mtukudzi had a series of successes shortly after Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980. For a long time his music followed rhythms with a South African mbaqanga bias but sung with Shona lyrics. As a matter of fact, West Nkosi, who was a South African music producer employed by Gallo Records, would come to Zimbabwe to record Mtukudzi’s voice. The instrumentation would be completed by musicians in South Africa, hence the early South African beats.
It took Mtukudzi a long time to reach the top and that included changes in the line-up of his backing groups such as the ZigZag Band and The Black Spirits who had assisted him in churning out hits such as Mutavara, Nd iriBofu,Ny ar araMw ana we, NdipeyiwoZano and many more.
The albums that came out in the late 1980s had a variety of musical styles including soul, soca, jiti and reggae.
It was not until the 1990s that Mtukudzi realised that he needed to follow one direction in his musical output. The chain of hit after hit followed Tuku’s career into the 1990s. Among several of his albums are StrangeIsn’tIt, GrandPa’sStory and Messenger.
With his gutsy voice and a talent for writing songs that reflected on the daily lives of the people of Zimbabwe, his homeland, Tuku began to blend his Southern African music traditions which included mbira, mbaqanga, jiti, and the traditional drumming of the Korekore, known as katekwe drumming, with the soulful rhythms of the likes of Otis Redding and Toots Hibbert. This created such a unique sound which he dubbed Tuku Music.
In the late 1990’s, Tuku Music really took off to a higher level when he started performances in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Angola and Lesotho.
After the release of Todii in 1999, there was no looking back for Tuku as the song earned him worldwide acclaim and all doors were open for him. With help from his then manageress, Debbie Metcalfe, the world network was opened for SaManyanga.
With this, the whole country as well as the international world began to pay serious attention to Mtukudzi. Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, especially those in South Africa and England, began to invite Tuku to perform for them in these countries.
In 1997, he performed in Holland, Germany, Zimbabwe and South Africa with Mahube, which was the brainchild of a white South African saxophonist, Steve Dyer.
Every other artiste in Zimbabwe had the desire to do a collaboration song with the mighty Mtukudzi. The main attraction was his popularity outside Zimbabwe and his deep gutsy voice which many musicians admired. In Zimbabwe, Tuku collaborated with the likes of James Chimombe, Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave, Jah Prayzah, Bonnie Deuschle, Mathias Julius, Tatenda Mahachi, Sulumani Chimbetu and Winky D (PanorwadzaMoyo) to mention only a few. In South Africa, he collaborated with the late Hugh Masekela with Berita (in Mwana Wa Amai), Shabalala Rhythm (in SiyanaNaye), Ringo Madlingozi (in IntoYami), Lady-Smith Black Mambazo (in HelloMy Baby), Louis Mhlanga, Lady Jay Dee, Mimi, Busiswa, Judith Sephuma and Lucky Dube, to mention only a few.
In other African countries, he performed with artistes such as Baaba Maal and Toumani Diabete, while in North and South America, he collaborated with Carlos Santana and Joss Stone (in Neria).
Tuku was known for his humility. He understood the struggles of ordinary people.
Tuku was a humble man. Instead of avoiding his fans from stopping him in the streets as most music superstars do, he would go to where the crowds were to mix and mingle with them and have conversations. A lot of people attribute this humility to maturity. Having grown up suffering like many musicians in Zimbabwe, his superstar status came at a much later stage when he was already in his forties.
Apart from the Umoja project, Mtukudzi carried out many projects such as the construction of Pakare Paye Arts Centre in 2004. It is at this centre that Tuku began to give Zimbabwean youngsters opportunities to develop their skills in music and drama free of charge. He mentored youngsters such as Donald Kanyuchi, Sam (his son), Munyaradzi Mataruse and Ashton Tapiwa Nyahora, aka Mbeu, to mention only a few.
During his spare time, Tuku would also dedicate his services to the community by taking part in Aids awareness programmes as well as giving charity performances. Tuku had also started on a water project in Norton.
Tuku also consistently balanced his musical career with his passion for film and drama. In addition to appearing in several documents on Zimbabwean music, he also made appearances in Jit,Neria, Everyone’s Child, Sarawoga and Shanda.
Several books on Tuku’s life have been written by a variety of authors who include Jennifer Kyker, Shephered Mutamba and Craig Harris.
Anyone who entered Mtukudzi’s office would be confronted by the numerous awards, too many to mention, in the form of certificates, gold discs, gongs, medals and other paraphernalia that showed the world his achievements within Zimbabwe and internationally.
On his death, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared Mtukudzi a national hero, making him the first music artiste in Zimbabwe to receive such a high honour.
Although he was declared a national hero, his family decided to bury him in Madziwa, his rural home, where 6 000 mourners gathered.
Mtukudzi was one of the greatest artistes to emerge from Zimbabwe. Although his live performances are now silent, his legacy as an artiste and humanist will live on forever.
His death robbed Zimbabwe and the rest of the world of a most renowned and internationally recognised cultural icon of all time. If it were not for Covid-19, we would stage a massive commemoration concert to honour him. Feedback: frezindi@gmail. com