Nashil Pichen
Encyclopedia
Nashil Pichen Kazembe was a Zambian
singer from Luapula province (close to the Congolese (DRC) border) who became an African music star in the 1970s. He spent a long time in Nairobi
, Kenya
, where he collaborated with fellow Zambia emigre Peter 'Tsotsi' Juma
who was from Mbala
in Northern Province
on the Zambia-Tanzania border and Benson Simbeye. As members of 'Eagles Lupopo Band' they sang 'patriotic songs' praising President Kenneth Kaunda
and commenting on various social issues. Nashil Pichen ended his career as a solo artiste after returning from Kenya to Lusaka. His big hit 'A-Phiri Anabwera' was the first single to sell more than 50,000 units in Zambia. It was a song about Mr Phiri - a long lost migrant worker who returns home from the city empty handed only to find that no one in his village remembers him. Pichen had earlier scored a string of hits with his Super Mazembe
band singing in Zambian, Congolese and Kenyan languages. Although he returned to Zambia in the 1980s and recorded a number of albums there, Kenya knows him more for his Nairobi hits. It was in Kenya that he developed his unique style of combining Zambian traditional music with Congolese, Kenyan and Southern African urban rhythms like rumba
, soukous
, benga music
and kwela
. He was also very popular in Zimbabwe.
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
singer from Luapula province (close to the Congolese (DRC) border) who became an African music star in the 1970s. He spent a long time in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, where he collaborated with fellow Zambia emigre Peter 'Tsotsi' Juma
Peter Tsotsi
Peter Tsotsi is a Kenyan musician. He was one of the founders of the Equator Sound Band, along with Adolf Banyoro, Nashil Pichen, Charles Ssongo, Gabriel Omolo, Daudi Kabaka, and Fadhili Williams Mdawida...
who was from Mbala
Mbala
Mbala is Zambia’s most northerly large town and seat of Mbala District, occupying a strategic location close to the border with Tanzania and controlling the southern approaches to Lake Tanganyika, 40 km by road to the north-east, where the port of Mpulungu is located. It had a population of about...
in Northern Province
Northern Province, Zambia
Northern Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces. It covers approximately one fifth of Zambia in land area. The provincial capital is Kasama. The province is made up of 12 districts, namely Kasama , Chilubi, Isoka, Chinsali, Kaputa, Luwingu, Mbala, Mporokoso, Mpika, Mpulungu, Mungwi and Nakonde...
on the Zambia-Tanzania border and Benson Simbeye. As members of 'Eagles Lupopo Band' they sang 'patriotic songs' praising President Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda, known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.-Early life:Kaunda was the youngest of eight children. He was born at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali, Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia...
and commenting on various social issues. Nashil Pichen ended his career as a solo artiste after returning from Kenya to Lusaka. His big hit 'A-Phiri Anabwera' was the first single to sell more than 50,000 units in Zambia. It was a song about Mr Phiri - a long lost migrant worker who returns home from the city empty handed only to find that no one in his village remembers him. Pichen had earlier scored a string of hits with his Super Mazembe
Super Mazembe
Orchestra Super Mazembe was a popular band based in Kenya playing Lingala music. The band had roots in Super Vox, a band formed in 1967 in Zaire and led by Mutonkole Longwa Didos. The band moved to Nairobi in 1974 and changed its name to Orchestra Super Mazembe.Their biggest hit was "Shauri...
band singing in Zambian, Congolese and Kenyan languages. Although he returned to Zambia in the 1980s and recorded a number of albums there, Kenya knows him more for his Nairobi hits. It was in Kenya that he developed his unique style of combining Zambian traditional music with Congolese, Kenyan and Southern African urban rhythms like rumba
Rumba
Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no...
, soukous
Soukous
Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...
, benga music
Benga music
Benga is a genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi. In the 1940s, the African Broadcasting Service in Nairobi aired a steady stream of soukous, South African kwela, Zairean finger-style guitar and various kinds of Cuban...
and kwela
Kwela
Kwela is a happy, often pennywhistle-based, street music from southern Africa with jazzy underpinnings and a distinctive, skiffle-like beat. It evolved from the marabi sound and brought South African music to international prominence in the 1950s....
. He was also very popular in Zimbabwe.