Zimbabwean music is heavily reliant on the use of instruments such as the mbira, Ngoma drums and hosho. Their music symbolizes much more than a simple rhythm, as the folk and pop style styled music was used as a symbol of hope for Zimbabweans looking to gain independence from Rhodesia. Music has played a significant role in the history of Zimbabwe, from a vital role in the traditional Bira ceremony used to call on ancestral spirits, to protest songs during the struggle for independence. The community in Zimbabwe used music to voice their resistance to their oppression, as one of the only weapons they had available to fight back with. In the eighties, the Music of Zimbabwe was at the center of the African Music scene thanks to genres such as Sungura and Jit. However, several performers were banned by state TV and radio leading to the closing of several music venues.
Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo is a musician nicknamed "The Lion of Zimbabwe" and "Mukanya" for his immense popularity and for the political influence he wields through his music, including his sharp criticism of the government of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. He both created and made popular Chimurenga music, and his slow-moving style and distinctive voice is instantly recognisable to Zimbabweans.
Vusi Sidney Mahlasela Ka Zwane is a Sotho South African singer-songwriter.
Habib Koité is a Malian musician, singer, songwriter and griot based in Mali. His band, Bamada, was a supergroup of West African musicians, which included Kélétigui Diabaté on balafon.
Trains to Taung is the debut album by South African jazz pianist Paul Hanmer. The album combines jazz with African music.
Lesego Rampolokeng is a South African writer, playwright and performance poet.
The Bassline is a popular music venue and club in Johannesburg, South Africa. The original Bassline, established in 1994 in the Melville neighborhood of Johannesburg, closed in 2003, only to reopen in Newtown.
Marcus Wyatt, is a South African trumpeter, composer and producer.
Chris Berry is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He plays the mbira and the ngoma drum, from the Shona people of Southern Africa. His records with the band Panjea have gone platinum in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. He has released over a dozen albums; scored the soundtrack for three films; and collaborated and performed with many other artists.
Chiwoniso Maraire was a Zimbabwean singer, songwriter, and exponent of Zimbabwean mbira music. She was the daughter of Zimbabwean mbira master and teacher Dumisani Maraire. Describing the mbira, an instrument traditionally used by male musicians, she said, "It is like a large xylophone. It is everywhere in Africa under different names: sanza, kalimba, etc. For us in Zimbabwe it is the name for many string instruments. There are many kinds of mbiras. The one that I play is called the nyunga nyunga, which means sparkle-sparkle."
Live at the Bassline is a live album by Vusi Mahlasela and Louis Mhlanga.
Victor Kunonga is a Zimbabwean award-winning Afro-jazz singer and songwriter. Though having come to light in 2004, Victor quickly rose to fame with his first two albums and was a household name by 2007.
Shed Studios was responsible for the production of hundreds of band recordings and a large body of music used for various advertisements and films in Rhodesia, and later in Zimbabwe, from 1975 until 2000. The company "Shed Recording Studios (Pvt) Ltd" began in 1975, as a collaboration between Steve Roskilly, Martin Norris and Neil Thain, all employees of Rhodesia Television.
Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3: Africa Sessions is an album by banjoist Béla Fleck. Nicknamed "Throw Down Your Heart" after one of the songs, the album is actually a soundtrack for a film of the same name, released by Docurama Films, which he produced, about travelling through Africa, recording with many musicians from that continent as he searched for the origins of the banjo.
Jonah Sithole (1952–1997) was a Zimbabwean guitarist, vocalist and composer, known particularly for the mbira-inspired style known as mbira-guitar or chimurenga music.
James Chimombe (1951–1990) was a Zimbabwean vocalist and a guitarist. His career included stints with OK Success, the Acid Band, the Ocean City Band, and the Huchi Band. His music melded Kenyan, South African, and Congolese influences into Zimbabwean music. James also worked American Country & Western sounds into his music, combining them with African horns and light, lilting guitar lines. James Chimombe is known as the Phil Collins of Zimbabwe. Had he been alive today, he would have been as well known as Tuku. Tuku and Chimombe are both sons of Highfields, aka Fio. His music was soulful and presented the heart of the Shona culture.
Robin Morton Auld is a South African singer-songwriter, guitarist, poet and writer. He has released twenty albums to date, along with a novel and poetry collection.
Guy Buttery is a South African musician primarily known as a guitar player.
