DENDERA music wunderkind Richard Sakala is out on a mission to conquer the music industry spurred by the inspiration he derived not only from his late uncle Simon Chimbetu, but also from his late father Bedson, who was also a musician in his own right.
Tinashe Sibanda Entertainment Reporter
Simon Chimbetu, who passed away in 2005, was the founder of dendera music which has given birth to a number of musicians, among them Allan, Sulu, Douglas, Saiwe and Miriam — who are all Chimbetu siblings.
Bedson, on the other hand, was Simon Chimbetu’s brother-in-law whose music inspiration also rubbed off onto his son, Richard.
With this wealth of music influence, Sakala recently released his latest album titled Together — Pamwe Chete that is already receiving favourable airplay on a number of national radio stations.
Sakala attributes this to his late uncle Simon and father whom he described as conduits of great inspiration.
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“My uncle Simon Chimbetu and my father were men who were dedicated to their art and profession and this is even manifested in the number of artistes that are taking after Chimbetu musically.
“The torch that he lit should not be extinguished and we are all bearers of that torch,” Sakala said.
True to his words, Together – Pamwe Chete is a gem-packed album that will leave listeners convinced that the artiste is indeed on a mission to maintain the original dendera beat that became Chimbetu’s signature.
The six-track album includes songs like Ndifambe Nemi in which the protagonist is calling upon other people to come and join him or her on the long road of life.
It is a song about unifying people as they tackle their everyday challenges, to support each other in order to conquer them.
This is the reason why he engaged the services of his uncle Allan Chimbetu on this track.
Your Woman Your Flower, Hasha Kure, Unosvika Riinhi?, Huyai Kwedu and Rudo are also receiving airplay on Radio Zimbabwe and National FM.
Sakala’s previous albums include Get Ready (2000), Varegerei (2003), Ndinorevesa – Be Mine (2006), Kurauone (2007) and Village (2009).