The late Simon Chopper Chimbetu may be long dead, but his music has inspired a young talented artiste to step in the footsteps of the celebrated legend.
By Brenna Matendere
Born Ernest Chayambuka, but affectionately known as Papa Schneider, the Harare-based musician, who had a short stint with Allan Chimbetu, has already put together an eight-track dendera album.
“I have always been a fan of dendera music and the Chimbetus from the father Simon give me a lot of inspiration. So likewise I feel I must carry on with dendera music. I am grateful that in my short stint I have already drawn lots of support from fans,” said Schneider.
His album is titled Ngamura-ndimba. It has tracks such as Kanda Mambure, Mutupo Ndiani, Clarion Call, Ndibatei Chiponde and the title track.
“There are some people who sometimes ask me if I am related to the Chimbetus. So, I always answer such questions by saying it is something which I have also been trying to find out for a long time now. I feel like I am a family member to the Chimbetus, but time will tell,” he said.
“We are planning big gigs soon after the Covid-19 lockdown and we are getting a lot of invites from entertainment venues across the country. My message to our fans is, therefore, that they should keep watching the space. We will definitely connect with them across the country and wherever they are.”
