Tanga wekwa Sando

Music career

Tanga started his musical journey before independence in the 1970s where he played the tambourine for the Salvation Army youth band.^[1] He also learned to play the saxophone in the band. After some time, he then joined professional bands such as the Greenford Jangano-led Harare Mambos where he honed his craft. This saw Tanga and the band play in popular clubs and hotels such as Mushandirapamwe Hotel, Queen’s Hotel and at the Bulawayo's Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, where they fetched prizes for two consecutive years.^[2] In 1977 as the liberation war took centre stage, Tanga went to Botswana, where he played the trombone for The Gaborone Town Orchestra for a short time. His love for education saw him relocating to the United States. His passion for music did not end, in fact, this is when he started writing music seriously. It was here that he did his first recording in Bloomington, where he played in a band with five white guys. He later relocated to New York to pursue a music job. The heavens smiled on him resulting in him being hired at Tower Record Departmental Store in the Intelligence (Security) Section. He would work for the latter for three years upon which he returned home.

The Giraffe

When he returned to Zimbabwe without the pressures of school, Tanga went on to form the band Giraffe with high-flying producer, Bothwell Nyamhondera. The band recorded the hits, Mahobho and Vakomana Vekwedu among others. The band later disbanded and Tanga embarked on a solo career.

Solo career

After a long sabbatical between 1993 and 2000, Tanga came back with a banger, 'Wake' in 2001. The album was recorded at his Hakuna Matata Studios. It was the title track which became a favourite of many and its video got favourable airplay on ZBC TV. Other songs on the album were Nyenyedzi Yemugovera, Bharanzi, Shungu and PaFio. A year later, he went on to release his second album Shungu. In 2014 he released his third album Katsindi.^[3] The title track has proved to be a hit especially on Star FM.^[4]

Promoting Arts

In 2013 Tanga launched the PaFio Outdoor and Entertainment Centre, an outdoor facility promoting artists. Each Saturday, Tanga invited guest artist to perform at the venue. The facility offered an opportunity for upcoming artists to share the stage with the country's finest musicians. Some of the artists who have performed there include Bob Nyabinde, Extra Large and Shinsoman.

Awards

In 2004 Sando won the NAMA Awards for the best selling musical artiste.

References