Them Mushrooms | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Nairobi,Kenya |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
Them Mushrooms is a musical band fromKenya, playing mostlyChakacha, someBenga as well as somereggae. They are most famous for theSwahili 1982 song "Jambo Bwana". The band is composed of Teddy Kalanda, Henry Ndenge Saha and Ben Mutwiwa. They mainly do covers of previously written hit songs.
In 2009 bandleader John Katana was among four pioneering Kenyan artists given Head of State Commendation awards by presidentMwai Kibaki. MusicianJohn Nzenze was among the others.[1]
The group was founded in 1969 asAvenida Success. The original line-up consisted of Harrison brothers Teddy Kalanda, Billy Sarro, George Zirro, John Katana, Pius Plato Chitianda "Jibaba" and Pritt Nyale. A fifth Harrison brother, Dennis Kalume, joined two years later.
In 1972 the group was renamedThem Mushrooms,[2] from the mystical magic mushroom species, that grow wildly across the depths of Africa's rain forests. They are seen as East Africa's premier band.[3]
This group rose to fame with a distinct blend ofTaarab and Sega/Benga folk music, before taking toChakacha and spicing it up with rap andhip-hop beats. African influences includedFranco ofTPOK Jazz fromCongo,Egypt 80 andManu Dibango ofCameroon while in the international front it wasOtis Redding,James Brown,Wilson Pickett,Kool and the Gang,Earth, Wind and Fire, and alsoMadonna.[4]
The group originally played the beach hotel circuit inMombasa until 1986, with its coastal music influences. They moved toNairobi the year after.[5] The group almost disbanded in 1992 when its drummer and songwriter Dennis Kalume died and George Zirro left the band to pursue a solo career.[2] In 2002 the band was renamedUyoga,[6] but the name "Them Mushrooms" has since been taken back.[7]
One of the most famous of their songs is "Jambo Bwana" (Hello, mister in Swahili), released in 1982 and often referred to as "Hakuna Matata" from refrain lines. Penned by Teddy Kalanda, the band leader, this song went on to sell 30,000 copies. "Jambo Bwana", borrowed from a popular Kenyan folk song of the same name, was an instant hit in the 1980s.
One of their other hits, Ndogo Ndogo, was adapted as the soundtrack of the Paul Singh-producedKiswahili language film titled Mahari.
Them Mushroom have released several albums:[8]
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