Online Reporter
Maria Chiguvari
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
REGGAE musician, Anthony Amon, has released his first solo single titled “Say No to Drugs.”
It marks a new chapter in a career deeply rooted in Zimbabwe’s reggae history.
He is the only surviving member of the pioneering reggae band Transit Crew, which was formed in 1987, and went on to become one of the country’s most influential reggae institutions.
“This is my first single as Liber. I wrote three songs on Transit Crew’s fourth album Unity – Praise Him, Sky Is the Limit and Break Down the Barriers.”
The single “Say No to Drugs” features Buhle and producer Mono Mukundi, with plans underway to shoot a music video.
Liber says the song carries a strong social message, reflecting the consciousness that has always defined Transit Crew’s music.
Transit Crew regrouped in 2006 after nearly a 15-year break from the musical scene.
Liber reunited with the late Samaita Nicolas Zindi and Munyaradzi Nyemba to record the band’s fourth album, “Unity”.
The project featured Mannex Emmanuel Motsi, J Farai (Jeffery Sithole), Rungano Eddy Chaza and Farai Kazembe, with backing vocals from Hope Masike and Carmen Hwarira.
The album was recorded and produced by Mono Mukundi.
Several follow-up singles were later recorded at Professor Jonathan Moyo’s Studios, produced by Isaac Chirwa and Gas, and featured artists including Cello Culture, Victor Chaza, Rungano Chaza, Mannex Motsi and J Farai.
He explained that Transit Crew’s long absence from the scene, after its successful Tokyo tour, was due to several life-changing circumstances.
“Munya Brown was involved in a traffic accident, so we had to suspend shows.
“Some of the guys went back to school to study music, others focused on business, and one was studying journalism.
“We were young, single and searching.”
The band later faced devastating losses.
Both Munyaradzi Nyemba and Samaita Zindi passed away before the completion of Transit Crew’s planned fifth album, a project that had been in progress since 2016, the year Nyemba died.
“When Samaita passed on two years later, I was devastated. These were my elders.
“We had been together for almost 30 years.”
The project suffered further delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by a serious spinal injury that forced Liber into a long period of recovery. He later underwent a successful spine operation. Even with the setbacks, Liber remains determined to complete the fifth Transit Crew album.
He is currently funding the project from his own limited resources and continues to work closely with Mono Mukundi, whom he describes as a trusted professional.
“Finance is the biggest challenge, but I believe I will get there slowly,” he said.
“The great times I spent with Munya and Samaita will always inspire me to carry on with Transit Crew business.
“Transit is my heritage. It’s a birthright.”
The band shared the stage with Dennis Brown, I Jahman Levi, Joseph Hill’s Culture, Eric Donaldson, Cocoa Tea, Kurt Leacock, Misty n Roots, Fantan Moja, Red Rat, and a few other artists. They also performed with the late South African reggae icon, Lucky Dube, at the Macufe Festival in Johannesburg in 2007.
Mathew Masinge