Celebrated Gospel music grizzled veteran (forget it, he has the blackest hair ever known) Mechanic Manyeruke will end his five years of dry spell with his 26th album, Dzokororo, to be launched officially in Harare at the plush Meikles Hotel.
The album, a 10-track project which features the legend’s time-honoured songs such as Moses Murenje and Madhimoni, will be launched at a celebration dubbed ‘An Evening with the Legend’ this Saturday.
Rising from an insignificant village of Chiundura near Gweru metropolis in Zimbabwe, today Baba Manyeruke is a household name in Zimbabwe, a Gospel artist who over many years paved a road for the genre in Zimbabwe, with many struggles along the way.
Like so many artists of the world he has not experienced an easy journey, but worked many humble jobs to survive in his youth; a chequered career from gardener to painter, driver and waiter, which provided for his family while he grew as a musician and struggled with early recording companies to recognise Gospel music as needed and wanted in Zimbabwe.
His father was a singer and dancer at traditional gatherings and festivals, specializing in Mhande dances and songs, and after early encounters with the banjo in his childhood, Mechanic was captured by the music of the Salvation Army Band, which he joined in 1968–and grew from there. A song leader drafted him into his first live band, ‘The Gospel Singers‘.
In 1976, at a time when Gospel music was seldom heard on the national airwaves, he recorded his first solo single, ‘Mwana Muparadzi, the Prodigal Son’ with the B-side ‘Kufa Hakuna member–Death knows no celebrity status’. Not surprisingly it was not a commercial success but undaunted, he went on to record his first album with the Four Brothers in 1973, and over 20 more since then.
The struggles continued.
In 2013, Manyeruke’s consistency and pioneering efforts in the gospel fraternity were to be paid off through the benevolence of a local organisation which donated a prestigious Jaguar XF to celebrate his long musical career. The vehicle is yet to be received.
For this launch, Baba Manyeruke called on one of the people who have grown up following his journey since her childhood, and the event is coordinated by the acclaimed Gospel and afro-jazz artist, Dudu Manhenga.
Of her involvement in over 20 years in the arts, she says,
“I have sung at many events to try to fundraise for a fellow artist we had never celebrated alive. I welcome the opportunity to serve baba after our interaction in January at the ‘Hope for Zimbabwe’ concert in Chitungwiza.”
Dudu set up the Pulse Foundation which includes Pulse Creative Solutions and offers events planning and management as a service.
The launch of Baba Manyeruke’s latest album falls on the same day as the start of National Culture Week in Zimbabwe, which runs from 19-25 May 2018. Its theme this year is “Culture: A tool for building communities” – and for the community of artists who have followed in his footsteps the culture of Gospel music has certainly been built up thanks to the determination of the veteran in earlier years.
Now well into his 70s and after many hundreds of performances and 45 years in the recording industry, Baba Manyeruke’s new offering holds the promise of a full, rich musical journey encompassing classic and new originals, and the launch of his latest album in ‘An Evening with the Legend’ on 19 May is sure to be both highly enjoyable and a truly inspirational experience.
Press release
