adminWe all know Busi (Sibusisiwe) Ncube for her famous song “True Love”, recorded during her days with the band Ilanga: it is played, without fail, every year during Valentine’s parties.
But is Busi, who grew up in a family of singers, a one-hit wonder?
It’s not surprising there is so much music within Busi Ncube. It runs strong in her blood and family. But right now, she seems to have taken a long break from show business.
Her father, Sunday Ncube, played the double bass and provided the vocals in a township jazz band throughout Busi’s childhood in Bulawayo in the early 60s.
When Busi was 12, seven of her sisters sang as a choir, doing both choral and traditional ceremonial music.
From a very young age, Busi played percussion and ngoma. She later went on to perform with her twin sister Pathie (Sipathisiwe) and their older sister Doreen, in the group Ebony Sheikh.
Besides her strong family influence, Busi drew her musical development from other many quarters.
Like so many famous female vocalists of the world, Busi’s early influence was gospel music. In her early years, she moved through the various schools of musical styles — funk, rhythm & blues, simanje-manje and soul.
Artistes such as the South African star songstress, Miriam Makeba, had a strong influence on Busi’s development. By the early 80s she was impressed and influenced by young South African vocalist Brenda Fassie.
At the age of 19, Busi performed cabaret with the group Champ, based in Bulawayo at the Executive Night Club. After leaving Bulawayo for greener pastures in Harare, she later sang with her sister Doreen in the Pied Pipers at Harare’s Elizabeth Hotel.
By 1984, she was working constantly and maintained a strenuous five-nights-a-week contract with a band called Job’s Combination at Job’s Nitespot along Julius Nyerere Way in Harare.
Job’s Combination of the day were into copyright music in the afro-pop style, except when the band later teamed up with Lovemore Majaivana, who sang such original songs such as Stimela, Salanini Zinin’i’, Ukhozi, Okwamanye and Mama Ngivulele.
Meanwhile, Busi was yearning to create her own music, tired of the nightclub routine.
A new direction opened up with the formation of the group Ilanga in 1987, in which Busi, together with Don Gumbo, featured on vocals.
The group recorded four albums before disbanding in 1989.
Among the founding and latter members of Ilanga were Andy Brown (guitar), Keith Farquarson (keyboards), Munya Brown and Gibson Nyoni (drums), Charles Mangena (percussion), the late Don Gumbo (bass) and Virgilio Ignacio.
This diverse mix of musicians all achieved their full potential with an amazing blend which thrilled music lovers in Zimbabwe. Their popularity grew far and wide.
Several of Busi’s own tunes were recorded with Ilanga, including the countrywide hit True Love, Siyalonda, Gugamzimba (duet with Don Gumbo) and Ngihlangabeze.
After she split from Ilanga, Busi teamed up with Roger Mbambo to form the band Rain.
Like all former Ilanga (the sun in SiNdebele) members, who named their respective bands after the weather (e.g Andy Brown and The Storm), Busi was no exception — she named her band, Rain.
During the launch of her album African Renaissance, the band Rain concocted a lively backing for Busi who erupted onto the stage full of life and energy, happy to be bringing her music to the people.
Before long, the invited guests of journalists, musicians, promoters and friends took to the dance floor to celebrate her newest offering.
She told the audience her music was called “rainbow music” because of its variety of influences, and also because she recorded it in four languages: Shona, SiNdebele, Chewa and English — a veritable rainbow of exciting music styles.
African Renaissance was the fourth album recorded by the band Rain since 1990, others being Zevezeve (Rumour), Bayagiya (dance!) and Ndabazakho (It’s your own fault).
Except for some resistance at the very beginning of her music career, Busi has been able to hold her own in the tough music world without being subjected to too many of the problems that face a woman forging a career in music.
This is probably due to the encouragement of her musical family.
We know she has had her fair share of the hardships that saddle most female artistes throughout the world — being branded an “loose” because of their presence in nightclubs and bars. They are quite often not taken seriously as musicians. There are problems with drunken fans, who are a perennial bother — unless the artistes hire bouncers to keep the louts at bay.
I remember one music punter shouting at her when she was on stage, “Hey, Busi, I have paid my five dollars and I want to see you shaking your bum like Sandra Ndebele!”
Over the years and in the course of her development in music, Busi enjoyed opportunities to travel abroad: Belgium, England, Ireland and Mozambique.
She has shared the stage with international stars performing in Zimbabwe: Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Youssou N’dou and Sting.
Music projects she has been involved in include “Artistes Against Aids”, in early 2000, when she travelled around Zimbabwe with other artistes in a massive Aids awareness campaign.
She also wrote and performed the music for the documentary directed by Edwina Spicer “No Need to Blame” for the Mashambanzou home for the terminally ill.
This was done in co-operation with Belgian musician Rony Geboers, who later invited her to perform with his band in Belgium.
Contributing to the fight against violence against women, Busi, together with “Queen of Mbira” music, Chiwoniso Maraire, wrote and recorded the theme music for TV and radio programmes run by the Musasa Project in Harare.
In 2000, Busi was invited to participate in the United Musicians of Zimbabwe song for the Constitutional Commission, “Let’s Make a Change”.
In November of the same year, she went on a successful European tour of Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Slovakia, Norway and Sweden, where she did a live recording of a CD and video.
Busi is the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Women Musicians, launched in October 1998. Its main objective is to uplift the status of women artistes in Zimbabwe, to create employment and help develop self-reliance among them.
In 2004 she was elected to the board of directors of Zimbabwe Music Rights Association.
But what is happening to her now as she has been quiet for a long time? The last we heard of her was during the recording of the anti-piracy album, Stop It.
But Busi, don’t stop. We are all eagerly waiting for your next delivery!
l Professor Fred Zindi is at the University of Zimbabwe. He is also a musician and an author of several books on music. He can be contacted via e-mail on
Online Reporter