{"id":488,"date":"2015-03-05T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrmushava.wordpress.com\/2015\/03\/05\/biggie-tembos-spiritual-battles\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T08:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T08:44:11","slug":"biggie-tembos-spiritual-battles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=488","title":{"rendered":"Biggie Tembo’s Spiritual Battles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Jit thoroughbred Biggie Tembo is one of the most internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean artists. <\/p>\n

A few local musicians have achieved Tembo\u2019s cosmopolitan resume since his tragic death at 37 in 1995.<\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n
While most artists perform overseas before paltry audiences exclusively composed of the Zimbabwe Diaspora, Bhundu Boys, the band Tembo fronted, before 80 000 revellers at the Wembley Stadium in 1987.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
At the high tide of the jit sensation, the Bhundu Boys toured Europe, North America, Australia and Hong Kong where they were wildly popular.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The band was not only popular outside the country as the case is with some artists who narrow down their trade for an elite segment. <\/p>\n

Their manager Gordon Muir says he once entered a bank in Harare with Tembo and the entire staff burst out singing the band\u2019s long time chart-topping jam \u201cHatisi Tose<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The band was feted home and abroad for tracks such as \u201cJekesa Jekanyika,\u201d \u201cSimbimbino,\u201d \u201cTsvimbo Demoto,\u201d \u201cChekudya Chose\u201d and \u201cHupenyu Hwangu.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
While making waves across the international arena, Tembo found the sudden perks of a showbiz life hard to process, having come from an impoverished background.<\/p>\n

At one time he resisted being chauffeur-driven in a limousine while the band was touring the U.S, saying their brothers and sisters were suffering back home.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
A BBC presenter, John Peel, once described the group\u2019s discography as the most naturally flowing music he had ever heard in his life, while his colleague Andy Kershaw called Bhundu Boys one of the greatest pop groups he had ever heard.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Tembo bagged a Sony Award for a BBC documentary that he co-presented with Kershaw, who was also the best man at his wedding with Ratidzai.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cTo call the Bhundu Boys one of the greatest African bands of all time is to demean their achievement; their unique talent never required a geographical prefix,\u201d wrote Independent<\/i> (UK)\u2019s Robert Chalmers.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
His admirers included Pastor Charles Charamba whom he encouraged to record, when the two met at a Christian college, while the respected psalmist was still struggling to find his feet in the industry.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Charamba returned the favour by donating instruments to Tembo\u2019s orphan Biggie Tembo Jr, to help him consolidate his own career.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
At the time of his death, he was contemplating ditching music for a pastoral vocation. Tragically, Tembo hanged himself in the ward of a psychiatric hospital in Harare on July 30, 1995.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
In the days leading to his death, he once appeared on television confessing that he had demons. While in the U.K he had been quoted as saying: \u201cIt was because spiritually I was losing the battle like everyone else. So much that I ended up in the psychiatric unit of a hospital in Bristol at one stage. I was under so much stress I could not cope.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
While on the mend, he took to preaching and speaking in tongues on public transport, but his dark side was to prevail and end his life prematurely.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Three of the Bhundu Boys Shakie Kangwena, David Mankaba and Shepherd Munyama died of AIDS related ailments before Tembo\u2019s suicide. Ratidzai lamented that for all their success the Bhundu Boys were now synonymous with dying of AIDS more than anything else.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Although a posthumous compilation of Bhundu Boys\u2019 early hits, Shed Sessions, has sold well internationally, his impoverished family was swindled out the proceeds, with Muir and their first Zimbabwean manager Steve Roskilly trading the blame. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The founding of Bhundu Boys coincided with Zimbabwe\u2019s Independence in 1980.They were\u00a0 \u00a0brought to UK in 1986 by a label called Disafrique. Muir bankrolled the band\u2019s early tours in UK before they soon rose to international acclaim. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The band was soon signed by WEA and switched producers. Their first album under the label had a westernised feel which alienated some of their early admirers. The trademark mbira sound transposed through from the guitar was replaced by laboured sophistication in the album.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Things fell apart when Tembo fell out with Muir and was sacked from the band. His solo projects flopped and attempts at stand-up comedy little salvaged his former popularity. The band, in turn, was dealt a death-knell, without Tembo\u2019s endearing, charismatic stage persona.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
While still struggling with his scuttled fortunes, Tembo suffered yet another blow. He learnt that the man who had raised him was not his actual father. The double-barrelled crisis took a heavy toll on him and he ended up taking bizarre rituals, involving snuff and the invocation of ancestral spirits.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0He soon became mentally disturbed and was soon admitted to mental institutions in Bristol and Harare. The later disbanded and the large house they had purchased in London was sold and the money split between the remaining members.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The only surviving Bhundu boy, Rise Kagona, claims he got a pittance from the sale of the property. Tembo family got virtually nothing for his part in the jit legacy.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jit thoroughbred Biggie Tembo is one of the most internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean artists. A few local musicians have achieved Tembo\u2019s cosmopolitan resume since his tragic death at 37 in 1995. While most artists perform overseas before paltry audiences exclusively composed of the Zimbabwe Diaspora, Bhundu Boys, the band Tembo fronted, before 80 000 revellers at the Wembley Stadium in 1987. At the high tide of the jit sensation, the Bhundu Boys toured Europe, North America, Australia and Hong Kong where they were wildly popular. The band was not only popular outside the country as the case is with some artists who narrow down their trade for an elite segment. Their manager Gordon Muir says he once entered a bank in Harare with Tembo and the entire staff burst out singing the band\u2019s long time chart-topping jam \u201cHatisi Tose.\u201d The band was feted home and abroad for tracks such as \u201cJekesa Jekanyika,\u201d \u201cSimbimbino,\u201d \u201cTsvimbo Demoto,\u201d \u201cChekudya Chose\u201d and \u201cHupenyu Hwangu.\u201d While making waves across the international arena, Tembo found the sudden perks of a showbiz life hard to process, having come from an impoverished background. At one time he resisted being chauffeur-driven in a limousine while the band was touring the U.S, saying their brothers and sisters were suffering back home. A BBC presenter, John Peel, once described the group\u2019s discography as the most naturally flowing music he had ever heard in his life, while his colleague Andy Kershaw called Bhundu Boys one of the greatest pop groups he had ever heard. Tembo bagged a Sony Award for a BBC documentary that he co-presented with Kershaw, who was also the best man at his wedding with Ratidzai. \u201cTo call the Bhundu Boys one of the greatest African bands of all time is to demean their achievement; their unique talent never required a geographical prefix,\u201d wrote Independent (UK)\u2019s Robert Chalmers. His admirers included Pastor Charles Charamba whom he encouraged to record, when the two met at a Christian college, while the respected psalmist was still struggling to find his feet in the industry. Charamba returned the favour by donating instruments to Tembo\u2019s orphan Biggie Tembo Jr, to help him consolidate his own career. At the time of his death, he was contemplating ditching music for a pastoral vocation. Tragically, Tembo hanged himself in the ward of a psychiatric hospital in Harare on July 30, 1995. In the days leading to his death, he once appeared on television confessing that he had demons. While in the U.K he had been quoted as saying: \u201cIt was because spiritually I was losing the battle like everyone else. So much that I ended up in the psychiatric unit of a hospital in Bristol at one stage. I was under so much stress I could not cope.\u201d While on the mend, he took to preaching and speaking in tongues on public transport, but his dark side was to prevail and end his life prematurely. Three of the Bhundu Boys Shakie Kangwena, David Mankaba and Shepherd Munyama died of AIDS related ailments before Tembo\u2019s suicide. Ratidzai lamented that for all their success the Bhundu Boys were now synonymous with dying of AIDS more than anything else. Although a posthumous compilation of Bhundu Boys\u2019 early hits, Shed Sessions, has sold well internationally, his impoverished family was swindled out the proceeds, with Muir and their first Zimbabwean manager Steve Roskilly trading the blame. The founding of Bhundu Boys coincided with Zimbabwe\u2019s Independence in 1980.They were\u00a0 \u00a0brought to UK in 1986 by a label called Disafrique. Muir bankrolled the band\u2019s early tours in UK before they soon rose to international acclaim. The band was soon signed by WEA and switched producers. Their first album under the label had a westernised feel which alienated some of their early admirers. The trademark mbira sound transposed through from the guitar was replaced by laboured sophistication in the album. Things fell apart when Tembo fell out with Muir and was sacked from the band. His solo projects flopped and attempts at stand-up comedy little salvaged his former popularity. The band, in turn, was dealt a death-knell, without Tembo\u2019s endearing, charismatic stage persona. While still struggling with his scuttled fortunes, Tembo suffered yet another blow. He learnt that the man who had raised him was not his actual father. The double-barrelled crisis took a heavy toll on him and he ended up taking bizarre rituals, involving snuff and the invocation of ancestral spirits. \u00a0He soon became mentally disturbed and was soon admitted to mental institutions in Bristol and Harare. The later disbanded and the large house they had purchased in London was sold and the money split between the remaining members. The only surviving Bhundu boy, Rise Kagona, claims he got a pittance from the sale of the property. Tembo family got virtually nothing for his part in the jit legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"yoast_head":"\nBiggie Tembo's Spiritual Battles | Blockspace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=488\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Biggie Tembo's Spiritual Battles | Blockspace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jit thoroughbred Biggie Tembo is one of the most internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean artists. A few local musicians have achieved Tembo\u2019s cosmopolitan resume since his tragic death at 37 in 1995. While most artists perform overseas before paltry audiences exclusively composed of the Zimbabwe Diaspora, Bhundu Boys, the band Tembo fronted, before 80 000 revellers at the Wembley Stadium in 1987. At the high tide of the jit sensation, the Bhundu Boys toured Europe, North America, Australia and Hong Kong where they were wildly popular. The band was not only popular outside the country as the case is with some artists who narrow down their trade for an elite segment. Their manager Gordon Muir says he once entered a bank in Harare with Tembo and the entire staff burst out singing the band\u2019s long time chart-topping jam \u201cHatisi Tose.\u201d The band was feted home and abroad for tracks such as \u201cJekesa Jekanyika,\u201d \u201cSimbimbino,\u201d \u201cTsvimbo Demoto,\u201d \u201cChekudya Chose\u201d and \u201cHupenyu Hwangu.\u201d While making waves across the international arena, Tembo found the sudden perks of a showbiz life hard to process, having come from an impoverished background. At one time he resisted being chauffeur-driven in a limousine while the band was touring the U.S, saying their brothers and sisters were suffering back home. A BBC presenter, John Peel, once described the group\u2019s discography as the most naturally flowing music he had ever heard in his life, while his colleague Andy Kershaw called Bhundu Boys one of the greatest pop groups he had ever heard. Tembo bagged a Sony Award for a BBC documentary that he co-presented with Kershaw, who was also the best man at his wedding with Ratidzai. \u201cTo call the Bhundu Boys one of the greatest African bands of all time is to demean their achievement; their unique talent never required a geographical prefix,\u201d wrote Independent (UK)\u2019s Robert Chalmers. His admirers included Pastor Charles Charamba whom he encouraged to record, when the two met at a Christian college, while the respected psalmist was still struggling to find his feet in the industry. Charamba returned the favour by donating instruments to Tembo\u2019s orphan Biggie Tembo Jr, to help him consolidate his own career. At the time of his death, he was contemplating ditching music for a pastoral vocation. Tragically, Tembo hanged himself in the ward of a psychiatric hospital in Harare on July 30, 1995. In the days leading to his death, he once appeared on television confessing that he had demons. While in the U.K he had been quoted as saying: \u201cIt was because spiritually I was losing the battle like everyone else. So much that I ended up in the psychiatric unit of a hospital in Bristol at one stage. I was under so much stress I could not cope.\u201d While on the mend, he took to preaching and speaking in tongues on public transport, but his dark side was to prevail and end his life prematurely. Three of the Bhundu Boys Shakie Kangwena, David Mankaba and Shepherd Munyama died of AIDS related ailments before Tembo\u2019s suicide. Ratidzai lamented that for all their success the Bhundu Boys were now synonymous with dying of AIDS more than anything else. Although a posthumous compilation of Bhundu Boys\u2019 early hits, Shed Sessions, has sold well internationally, his impoverished family was swindled out the proceeds, with Muir and their first Zimbabwean manager Steve Roskilly trading the blame. The founding of Bhundu Boys coincided with Zimbabwe\u2019s Independence in 1980.They were\u00a0 \u00a0brought to UK in 1986 by a label called Disafrique. Muir bankrolled the band\u2019s early tours in UK before they soon rose to international acclaim. The band was soon signed by WEA and switched producers. Their first album under the label had a westernised feel which alienated some of their early admirers. The trademark mbira sound transposed through from the guitar was replaced by laboured sophistication in the album. Things fell apart when Tembo fell out with Muir and was sacked from the band. His solo projects flopped and attempts at stand-up comedy little salvaged his former popularity. The band, in turn, was dealt a death-knell, without Tembo\u2019s endearing, charismatic stage persona. While still struggling with his scuttled fortunes, Tembo suffered yet another blow. He learnt that the man who had raised him was not his actual father. The double-barrelled crisis took a heavy toll on him and he ended up taking bizarre rituals, involving snuff and the invocation of ancestral spirits. \u00a0He soon became mentally disturbed and was soon admitted to mental institutions in Bristol and Harare. The later disbanded and the large house they had purchased in London was sold and the money split between the remaining members. The only surviving Bhundu boy, Rise Kagona, claims he got a pittance from the sale of the property. Tembo family got virtually nothing for his part in the jit legacy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=488\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blockspace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-03-05T07:15:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-26T08:44:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/991.com\/NewGallery\/The-Bhundu-Boys-African-Woman-519122.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hardsouth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hardsouth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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A few local musicians have achieved Tembo\u2019s cosmopolitan resume since his tragic death at 37 in 1995. While most artists perform overseas before paltry audiences exclusively composed of the Zimbabwe Diaspora, Bhundu Boys, the band Tembo fronted, before 80 000 revellers at the Wembley Stadium in 1987. At the high tide of the jit sensation, the Bhundu Boys toured Europe, North America, Australia and Hong Kong where they were wildly popular. The band was not only popular outside the country as the case is with some artists who narrow down their trade for an elite segment. Their manager Gordon Muir says he once entered a bank in Harare with Tembo and the entire staff burst out singing the band\u2019s long time chart-topping jam \u201cHatisi Tose.\u201d The band was feted home and abroad for tracks such as \u201cJekesa Jekanyika,\u201d \u201cSimbimbino,\u201d \u201cTsvimbo Demoto,\u201d \u201cChekudya Chose\u201d and \u201cHupenyu Hwangu.\u201d While making waves across the international arena, Tembo found the sudden perks of a showbiz life hard to process, having come from an impoverished background. At one time he resisted being chauffeur-driven in a limousine while the band was touring the U.S, saying their brothers and sisters were suffering back home. A BBC presenter, John Peel, once described the group\u2019s discography as the most naturally flowing music he had ever heard in his life, while his colleague Andy Kershaw called Bhundu Boys one of the greatest pop groups he had ever heard. Tembo bagged a Sony Award for a BBC documentary that he co-presented with Kershaw, who was also the best man at his wedding with Ratidzai. \u201cTo call the Bhundu Boys one of the greatest African bands of all time is to demean their achievement; their unique talent never required a geographical prefix,\u201d wrote Independent (UK)\u2019s Robert Chalmers. His admirers included Pastor Charles Charamba whom he encouraged to record, when the two met at a Christian college, while the respected psalmist was still struggling to find his feet in the industry. Charamba returned the favour by donating instruments to Tembo\u2019s orphan Biggie Tembo Jr, to help him consolidate his own career. At the time of his death, he was contemplating ditching music for a pastoral vocation. Tragically, Tembo hanged himself in the ward of a psychiatric hospital in Harare on July 30, 1995. In the days leading to his death, he once appeared on television confessing that he had demons. While in the U.K he had been quoted as saying: \u201cIt was because spiritually I was losing the battle like everyone else. So much that I ended up in the psychiatric unit of a hospital in Bristol at one stage. I was under so much stress I could not cope.\u201d While on the mend, he took to preaching and speaking in tongues on public transport, but his dark side was to prevail and end his life prematurely. Three of the Bhundu Boys Shakie Kangwena, David Mankaba and Shepherd Munyama died of AIDS related ailments before Tembo\u2019s suicide. Ratidzai lamented that for all their success the Bhundu Boys were now synonymous with dying of AIDS more than anything else. Although a posthumous compilation of Bhundu Boys\u2019 early hits, Shed Sessions, has sold well internationally, his impoverished family was swindled out the proceeds, with Muir and their first Zimbabwean manager Steve Roskilly trading the blame. The founding of Bhundu Boys coincided with Zimbabwe\u2019s Independence in 1980.They were\u00a0 \u00a0brought to UK in 1986 by a label called Disafrique. Muir bankrolled the band\u2019s early tours in UK before they soon rose to international acclaim. The band was soon signed by WEA and switched producers. Their first album under the label had a westernised feel which alienated some of their early admirers. The trademark mbira sound transposed through from the guitar was replaced by laboured sophistication in the album. Things fell apart when Tembo fell out with Muir and was sacked from the band. His solo projects flopped and attempts at stand-up comedy little salvaged his former popularity. The band, in turn, was dealt a death-knell, without Tembo\u2019s endearing, charismatic stage persona. While still struggling with his scuttled fortunes, Tembo suffered yet another blow. He learnt that the man who had raised him was not his actual father. The double-barrelled crisis took a heavy toll on him and he ended up taking bizarre rituals, involving snuff and the invocation of ancestral spirits. \u00a0He soon became mentally disturbed and was soon admitted to mental institutions in Bristol and Harare. The later disbanded and the large house they had purchased in London was sold and the money split between the remaining members. The only surviving Bhundu boy, Rise Kagona, claims he got a pittance from the sale of the property. 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