Macheso back on home ground

His first port of call would be New Life Night Club in Budiriro tonight, where he is expected to serenade his legions of fans with his long repertoire that has made him a household name from the time he ventured into music nearly 15 years ago.

The following day he will take his act to Kadoma, at the Grand Hotel, where he is expected to dance his night away before driving back to Harare for yet another show at Extra Mile on Sunday.

It appears that the experienced bass guitarist would this year hold roll-coaster shows that will take him to all corners of the country, probably one of his mega country tours.
Macheso came onto the music scene in 1998, with his debut album “Magariro”, which carried “Pakutema Munda”, probably the most noticeable from that album. But the first cut never received any recognition and the following year he was to release “Vakiridzo”. Similarly, the response was lukewarm and in the coming 12 months, he went back into the studio and came out with “Simbaradzo”.

“Simbaradzo” was to be the turning point is his career and “Mundikumbuke” and “Mai Rubhi” brought Macheso into the limelight. He was to follow on the success of “Simbaradzo” with “Zvakanaka Zvakadaro”. He can dance, sing and play the guitar – a rare combination of skills among musicians. “Zvakanaka Zvakadaro” was followed, in 2003, by “Zvido Zvenyu Kunyanya”.

Macheso was born in 1968 in Shamva, 90 kilometres to the north of Harare, to parents of Malawian origin – a fact that was to inspire him to be able to speak and sing in five languages – Shona, Chichewa, Sena, Venda and Lingala. Growing on a farm, especially before Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain in 1980, the environment did not offer him many opportunities.

In 1983, at the youthful age of 15, he left the farm compounds of Shamva to head for the bright lights of Harare.
Arriving in the capital at the invitation of a relative, who had been inspired by Macheso guitar-playing prowess at the farm compounds. The two went on a music-inspired journey, joining several bands, mostly sungura-playing outfits.

In 1997, he broke ranks with Zakaria, to form his own Orchestra Mberikwazvo.
He is well known throughout all of Africa as one of the most successful African singers and ranked among the best bass guitarists on the continent. He is Zimbabwe’s best-ever selling artiste with his album “Simbaradzo” being the highest ever sold album in Zimbabwe, a record which is yet to be broken by any artiste in Zimbabwe to date. Macheso is believed to be arguably the best sungura artiste ever to emerge from Zimbabwe although Leornard Dembo (also a sungura great)was also good.