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The group is already preparing for the big event.
One of the longest serving members of the group, Timothy Dzinemarira, said they were ecstatic about the call-up and they will do their best to give a show to remember to the delegates.
“It’s like a national duty to us, we will deliver. Being chosen to be one of the groups to perform at a such high gathering showed that the organisers have faith in us. We will give it our best,” he said.
Dzinemarira said the group wanted to give a sterling performance at the summit .
“We are proud to be part of the festival. We are promising memorable shows for jazz enthusiasts,” he said.
The invitation to perform at such a prestigious gathering is an honour to one of the countries oldest groups.
The group was formed more than half a century ago in Makokoba township, Bulawayo, amidst the racial segregation in the then Rhodesia. Music was a natural and necessary accompaniment in shebeens those days.
The Crooners were formed by the members of earlier groups, such as the Cool 4 and the Golden Rhythm Crooners.
“We started during the fifties, the early fifties and then carried on. But as the others fell out, through death, those remaining came together and formed the Cool Crooners,” said Dzinemarira.
Modest success in the 1950s was overshadowed by Zimbabwe’s liberation war and the excitement of independence in 1980. But in 1992, the surviving members of the original groups joined forces again.
To date, the group has managed to fuse in fresh blood in their ranks, but the penny whistle sound remains their trademark.
They have managed to evolve through the years to become top entertainers at corporate functions.If their performance at this year’s Hifa is to be the yardstick, then fans will be in for a treat as the four lead vocalists exhibit undulated energy which belies their age.
Online Reporter