Many musically-inclined Zimbabweans who have no problem with being honest might have finally realised that the music-making business — unlike say a tissue-making venture — is one that will only thrive where there is real talent and as such, it may prove hard to turn it into a family business.
viewpoint By Chipo Masara
The idea of having “heirs” to the late music legends’ thrones in the form of the late musicians’ children is one that excites many and has fast become the modus operandi in the country’s local music industry. And who can blame music lovers for getting excited when children of late greatly appreciated and tremendously missed musicians rise and take over where their parents would have left off? After all, many view such a move as the sure way for children to honour their parents as well as keep their legacy alive. A commendable feat it is considered. Children of the late James Chimombe, Simon Chimbetu, Leornard Dembo, John Chibadura, Andy Brown and Tongai Moyo, to mention just a few, come to mind.
It is a fact that there are many instances where a parent’s talent is passed on to the children, and it is always amazing when that does happen. This was the fact in the case of Oliver Mtukudzi’s late son, Sam. He was truly talented and was promising to follow in his father’s footsteps and might have even surpassed his mentor.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Ammara Brown, daughter to the late Andy Brown, also certainly did inherit her father’s musical gene. The rising star has grown and has of late proved she is slowly stepping out of her father’s shadow and becoming her own person. Mechanic Manyeruke’s son Guspy Warrior of the Ita Seunononga fame also comes to mind. Even with his father still very much alive, the young Zimdancehall star has risen to become his own man. And then there is Sulumani Chimbetu, son to the late Simon Chimbetu, who has become a young version of his father, having perfected the art of singing in his late father’s voice.
However, it is clearly not always the case that parents pass on their talents to their children. In fact, while their parents might have been among the most talented musicians to ever grace the land, some children of such might be talented in something totally different… say football. And there really is nothing wrong with that.
It requires the children of the late musicians to introspect and really be honest in establishing if indeed they inherited that musical gene. I reckon it really cannot be that much of a task establishing if one is cut out for the music business or not. I realise that amidst all the agony of accepting that a parent is indeed gone, coupled with pressure from adoring fans — who in most instances just cannot fathom the fact that their entertainer is really no more — children of late musicians are left to feel they have no choice but to fit into their late parents’ superstar shoes, no matter how big they might be.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
But then it almost never turns out well when that happens. Look at the case of the late Tongai “Igwe” Moyo’s son Peter, for instance. The burden of carrying forward his father’s legacy, which has entailed attempting to maintain the late sungura musician’s band The Utakataka Express, appears to be weighing him down. Many that loved the late Mushina Muhombe hitmaker may have been forced to acknowledge that “Young Igwe”— as Peter is known (also in another clear attempt to make him into another version of his father) — is a far cry from who his father was, musically.
While many might be quick to blame Peter for the apparent disintegration of his father’s band, I quite feel sorry for the lad. It would seem he has been destined to forever follow his late father’s shadow. If Peter was a musician of note, as his father undeniably was, there is no doubt we would have seen it by now. The truth is, even though he inherited his father’s band and all the resources that should have aided his musical career, he did not inherit from his father the one important thing in this line of business — the musical talent! I rather suspect Peter’s talent is elsewhere, and the sooner he discovers where, the better for him.
Tongai Moyo’s son is, however, definitely not the only child of a late musician that is finding the going tough. Leonard Dembo’s son Tendai, is reportedly struggling to keep his late father’s Barura Express band alive. The young man seems to be struggling to separate himself from his father, choosing to always sing his father’s songs, albeit at the risk of distorting the original versions. His elder brother Morgan, is fairing much worse.
The bottom line is: some children of great musicians inherit the musical genes, while some don’t. It’s just that simple. What is important is for the children to establish where their talents lie before attempting to take on from where their parents would have left off.
In the case where they succumb to forces that push them into the industry even when they have no clue what they are doing, they actually do their late parents a disservice. When late musicians do not leave behind any children with undeniable talent, I feel it would be better if there were no so-called heirs. That way, we preserve the late music legends’ unscathed legacies.
