Tryson Chimbetu

"When a man grows to become a father some things have to change. I can say he is maturing and there are a lot of changes I have been noticing in his conduct. We regularly discuss issues to do with his career and he is prepared to take my suggestions,” said Nyarai. “We agreed that a better brand can only be achieved if all matters in the industry are professionally attended to. I am not taking an active role in the band and I will not interfere with his work. I am simply a concerned wife who wishes the best for her husband and family.”

Tryon believes that marriage has helped his career in a positive way.

“She makes sure that I have enough time to rest after busy shows and also ensures that I do not miss important appointments.

“You know, at times musicians are said to be bad with punctuality because the job is tiring and you need a good balance between assignments and appointments.

“She manages my programme well. Even when I am going to the studio or for rehearsals, she emphasises on the importance of being punctual. She chooses what I wear on stage and always encourages me to work hard.

“I have a good helper indeed and I am confident that the new approach that I have decided to take in my career will be successful. I have a shoulder to lean on and the need to care for our son Naison pushes me harder.” said Tryson

Education

Chimbetu did his secondary education at Glenview 1 High School were he attained 9 points at A level.

Music career

Tryson was born in a musical family where his father Naison and his father's brothers Simon Chimbetu, Allan Chimbetu and Brian Chimbetu released a string of hits under the band Marxist brothers in the 1980s. The outfit was one of the best in Zimbabwe at that time.^[2] Chimbetu, who believed music as his calling, started learning the guitar while at high school. He would carry it with him and practice during his free time. However, it was not until 2002 when he seriously ventured into music after touring Mutare together with his father and shared the stage with other accomplished musicians. He was one of the few to have the blessings of his father to pursue music and in 2004, he decided to carry his career to a higher level by joining his cousin Sulumani Chimbetu's band. This proved to be a futile task as the two failed to reach an agreement. Nevertheless, the youthful musician did not lose hope and his efforts paid off in 2005 when he formed his own band Marxist Brothers.^[3] He went on to release his debut album "Marxist Revival" in 2008 which was well received by his fans. Since then, he has never looked back and has released four albums to date. It is his latest album 'Compass' that had brought him glory with most of the songs enjoying considerable airplay on local radio stations. The six-track album carries songs like "Mombe Mombe", "Pahotera" which features superstar Oliver Mtukudzi, "Bhora Mberi" a duet with Peter Moyo, "Ndondo", "Pfuti" and "Wangu".^[4] Tryson said he adopted the title Compass to indicate that he wanted to follow the direction taken by his father Naison and his late uncle Simon when they founded Marxist Brothers.

Ambassadorial Role

He was in May 2013 appointed Zimbabwe Red Cross (ZRC) humanitarian youth ambassador. His task was to advocate for youth empowerment especially among the less privileged. ZRC said they honoured the Dendera star after observing the commitment and support he had given to Alick Macheso since he was appointed their humanitarian ambassador.^[5]

International Shows

The heavens opened up on Chimbetu in 2014 when he embarked on his maiden international show in South Africa. He staged three favourably-attended shows at Transvaal Hotel in Boksburg. The shows were spectacular that even the proprietor of Transvaal Hotel Rodger Muzawazi was impressed by Chimbetu’s performance^[6]

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Hard Times

The youthful Dendera musician had been going through a rough patch since 2013. At one point he had his musical instruments confiscated after he failed to pay $300 to a local transport company that ferried the equipment to Guruve and Rushinga for shows.^[7] As this was not enough, he was in March 2014 ditched by four of his band members which are lead guitarist Tongogara “Papa Tongo” Munemo, dancer Tatenda Mhayo, a sound engineer and a security staffer after he failed to pay them for several months. It is alleged 'Sekuru Dhimba' as Tryson is affectionately known was getting less than US$300 per show.^[8]

Comment about Bev's Pole Dancing

Chimbetu once took a dig at pole dancer Beverly Sibanda saying she is a disgrace to his fans and members of the public at large. Tryson, also claimed he never wanted to perform together with Bev but he could do nothing as the decision is always made by the promoters.^[9]

Videos

Relationship with Sulu

Media reports claim that his relationship with cousin Sulu is not easy going. At one point Tryson is believed to have said his cousin Sulumani is afraid of him when it comes to music. Tryson made the comment after he was barred from performing at the Simon Chimbetu commemorations in the Harare Gardens in 2013. Though the show promoter said Tryson had not been on the line up for the gig, claims were that Tryson had agreed with the promoters to perform with his band or thirty minutes but Sulu’s camp allegedly threw spanners.^[10] What cemented the claims is that Sulumani approached the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) seeking an order to bar any musician from playing his late father’s songs. This was after Tryson performed most of Simon Chimbetu’s songs ahead of Sulumani at the 21st February Movement gala in 2012. However, Sulu later agreed to have his cousin play the songs.^[11]

Discography

• Marxist Revival (2008)
• Bvamrod (2010)
• Nguva YaChimbetu
• Compass (2013)

References