Bhundu Boys

"”I remember I think in the summer of 1986 going to see the Bhundu Boys for the first time with John at some college down in Chelsea. And I turned round to look at him halfway through the gig and there were tears streaming down his face, and he described the music as the most natural flowing music he had ever heard in his life.” (Andy Kershaw, Peel tribute programme, 31 October 2004 (Andy Kershaw))"

thumb|320px|right|Hupenyu Hwangu

The Bhundu Boys were a Zimbabwean band who made a rapid breakthrough with British independent music audiences in the mid-1980s with their joyous 'jit' style of Afropop and dynamic live performances. After supporting Madonna for three nights at Wembley Stadium in summer 1987, however, momentum was lost following record company problems and a shift to a more western sound. Tragedy was to follow with frontman "Biggie" Tembo leaving the band in 1990 and later committing suicide, while other members fell victim to AIDS. The band finally folded in 2000.

Links to Peel
Both Peel and Andy Kershaw immediately became hugely enthusiastic supporters of the Bhundu Boys, offering sessions and giving heavy airplay to the albums 'Shabini' and 'Tsvimbodzemoto', both released in the UK on the Discafrique label. Kershaw described the first time the two DJs heard the band:

"'I first heard them when they put out an EP in the autumn of 1985. Peel and I were in the office at Radio 1. We sat staring at each other, thinking this recording was absolutely wonderful. It was the dazzling quality of the music, the harmonies, the sparkling guitar playing.'"

Live, the impression was equally overwhelming, but although the Bhundu Boys scored a rare Festive Fifty entry for an African band in 1987 with a track from their major-label debut, Peel would pay less attention to the music they recorded in the UK. He did, however, return regularly to the band's early Zimbabwean material, playing numerous tracks from the double 'Shed Sessions' CD compilation when it was released in 2001.

In 2011, The Guardian newspaper listed Peel playing the Bhundu Boys as #41 in '50 key events in the history of World and Folk music'. 

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1987 Festive Fifty: My Foolish Heart (LP-True Jit) WEA #30

Sessions

 * Two sessions. The first was selected as one of Peel Sessions: The Best 125. No known commercial release.

1. Recorded 1986-07-06. First broadcast 14 July 1986. Repeated 01 September 1986, 22 December 1986 2. Recorded 1986-12-21. First broadcast 07 January 1987, repeated 27 January 1987, 11 May 1987, 28 December 1987
 * Manhenga / Writing On The Wall / Chemedza Vansa / Let’s Work Together / Kuroja Chete
 * My Foolish Heart / Ndoita Sei? / Jig-A-Jig / Rugare

Other Shows Played
(This list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is almost certainly incomplete. Please add any missing information if known.)


 * 1980s
 * 26 November 1986: Shabini (LP - Shabini) Discafrique
 * 01 December 1986: Faka Puresha (source unknown)
 * 08 December 1986: Hupenyu Hwangu (LP - Shabini) Discafrique
 * 16 December 1986: Manhenga (LP - Shabini) Discafrique
 * 23 February 1987: Hupenyu Hwangu (LP - Shabini) Discafrique
 * 16 June 1987: Simbimbino (LP - Tsvimbodzemoto) Discafrique
 * (JP: Now you are I are both going to have to come to terms with the title of this LP because I'm going to be playing it an awful lot and you're going to be going into record shops and saying 'please could I have the Bhundu Boys Tsvimbodzemoto'. And that was called 'Simbimbino' from the LP and I'll play you another track from it before we all go home too. That's described as being a cautionary tale of a greedy man, a woman (his wife), a hole, the trap and a moralising pig. Well!)


 * 16 June 1987: unknown (LP - Tsvimbodzemoto) Discafrique
 * 30 June 1987: Tsvimbodzemoto (LP-Tsvimbodzemoto) Discafrique
 * 24 June 1987: Vakapare (LP-Tsvimbodzemoto) Discafrique
 * 27 July 1987: Wafungeyiko (album - Tsvimbodzemoto) Discafrique
 * 29 July 1987: Jit Jive (LP - True Jit)
 * 03 August 1987: Chimanimani (LP – Tsvimbodzemoto) DiscAfrique
 * 11 August 1987: Nhai Mukoma (LP - Tsvimbodzemoto) DiscAfrique
 * 13 August 1987 (Rockradio): Simbimbino (LP - Tsvimbodzemoto) Discafrique
 * 17 August 1987: Rugare (7"-B side of Jit Jive) WEA
 * 26 October 1987: Happy Birthday (LP-True Jit) WEA
 * 02 November 1987: Ndoitasei (live) (b-side African Woman) WEA
 * 28 December 1987: My Foolish Heart (LP-True Jit) WEA FF#30
 * (JP: "Well, they should have been in before, and a lot higher than that.")


 * 02 February 1988: Writing On The Wall (Single issued in Zimbabwe, taken from Peel Session)
 * 23 February 1988: Hupenyu Hwangu (LP - Shabini) Discafrique
 * 14 November 1989: Chimbira (album - Pamberi) WEA 246 278-1
 * 11 December 1989: Kutambura (album - Pamberi!) WEA (JP: "Back in mid season form...")
 * 27 December 1989: Chimbira (CD-Pamberi! ) WEA


 * 1990s
 * 02 January 1993: 'Pombi (CD-Friends On The Road)' (Cooking Vinyl)
 * (JP: Any African country beginning with Z is awash with devastating guitar players.)


 * 10 January 1993 (BFBS): Pombi (CD - Friends on the Road) Cooking Vinyl
 * 15 January 1993: '?' (LP 'Friends On The Road') Cooking Vinyl
 * 22 May 1993 (BFBS): Hupenye Hwangu (album - Shabini) Discafrique
 * 12 June 1993: Hupenyu Hwangu (LP – Shabini) Discafrique
 * 04 August 1995: Dai Ndakaziva (LP - Shabini) Discafrique
 * 15 December 1999: Hatisitose (LP - Shabini) Discafrique


 * 2000s
 * 03 July 2001: Une Shuwa Here (LP - The Shed Sessions) Sadza
 * 05 July 2001: Chekudya Chose (LP - The Shed Session) Sadza
 * 10 July 2001: Zvichatinetsa (2xCD - The Shed Sessions) Sadza
 * 18 July 2001: Pachedu (LP - The Shed Sessions) Sadza
 * 19 July 2001: Kumbirayi (LP - The Shed Sessions) Sadza
 * 31 July 2001: title not given (LP - The Shed Sessions) Sadza
 * 15 August 2001: title not given (LP - The Shed Sessions) Sadza


 * Other
 * Mid-Dec 1986: Vakaparei (possibly from advance copy of LP-Tsvimbodzemoto)
 * Peel Feb Mar 1988: Hupenyu Hwangu (album - Shabini) Discafrique
 * Peel January 1993: unknown track (album - Friends On the Road) Cooking Vinyl