Mitchell Jambo – From Bus Conductor to Sungura Legend
By PamenusTuso
From Bus Conductor to Sungura Legend
WHEN Mitchell Jambo left his job as a bus conductor in 1983, he took a completely different route in pursuit of a better life.
His burning ambition then was to become a successful musician.
Most artistes often struggle to win their parents’ support before venturing into music but not Mitchell. It therefore came as no surprise when he turned out to be a successful musician.
Mitchell’s moment in the sun came when he released hit songs, Vimbiso, Rudo Runokosha and Ndini Uyo, which dominated local music charts.
The legendary sungura musician shook the Zimbabwe music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was Ndini Uyo, a 25 minute song that hit the air waves in 1999 that earned Mitchell the stripes of a sungura legend. The song remains the longest recorded track in the country’s music history to date.
Mitchell was born in a family of ten children in Hurungwe communal lands in Mashonaland West in 1960. He came to Harare in 1983 looking for a job.
For two years, Mitchell was employed as a bus conductor by giant transport company, Mucheche Investment.
The man did not have many items with him when he relocated to Harare as he was coming from a poor background. Among the scanty belongings he brought to Harare, Mitchell had a box guitar that he had been given as a birthday present by his father, a peasant farmer.
During his spare time, he used to play his guitar. In 1985, Mitchell left Mucheche Investments in search of greener “pastures”.
After leaving his job, he worked for six months for Sungura Boys as a doorman.
This was a learning period for the aspiring musician. Mitchel started to learn the guitar seriously with the help of the late Jonh Chibadura.
“I started my music in 1984 when I joined Sungura Boys which was then led by the late Ephraim Joe. I started off as a doorman and because I was talented I was promoted to be a backing vocalist. I worked with this group for a year,” said Jambo in an interview with The Herald Entertainment.
While with Sungura Boys he also did backing vocals for the ten member band which had the likes of the iconic Simon and Naison Chimbetu, Chibadura, Never Moyo and Mike Gunde.
Chibadura broke up with the Sungura Boys in 1985 and formed his own band, the Tembo Brothers.
Following the formation of the Tembo Brothers, Mitchell joined the band as a backing vocalist.
“My stay with the Tembo Brothers was short-lived. I felt I was not growing, career wise, so I left the group in the same year and joined the newly-formed ShikaShika Brothers,” said Mitchell in the same interview.
Shika-Shika Brothers released two hit songs Zuva RakafaAmai and Agure Kunyima, before the band disbanded in 1986.
However, the separation did not dampen Mitchell ‘s musical spirit .
He went on to join Zimbabwe Cha ChaCha Kings and signed a six month contract at Nyamanhindi Hotel in Manicaland.
When the contract expired, Mitchel decided to take a break and went back to Hurungwe.
The year 1987 saw Jambo bouncing back in music and he started his career all over again at a night club in the Midlands town of Kwekwe.
It was back to square one again when the band leader, David Ziome left to join Wisdom Band in 1989.
It was during that year when Mitchel and three members of the group who had remained behind decided to go back to Harare where they were given musical instruments for their practice sessions by the late Jefrey Joko. This was in Montague Avenue, the place where the hit song, Vimbiso, was composed.
After almost a decade of inaction, Jambo again bounced back with bang when he released the famous “Ndini Uyo” a 25 minute long song with a mixture of cuts by different artists.
“Sungura is not about just singing a two-minute song and that’s it. The longer the song the more your expertise and craftiness is displayed,” said Jambo while commenting on the song.
In 2003 Mitchel released an eight –track album “Ndonotenda” which was followed by “Asi Chii Nhai” an album dedicated to the late Sungura maestro Leonard “MusoroWenyoka” Dembo.
Over the years, Jambo worked with different Sungura musicians before relocating to Thohoyandou South Africa in the late 2000. While in South Africa Jambo has released several albums. He also doubles as a radio presenter for Online 54, which is based in the USA.
Although Mitchel stays in South Africa, he records his albums in Zimbabwe because he feels the local studios are tailor-made for his Zwingondo music.
Jambo is expected to release his 11th album later this year.
