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| Members of Amarayoni Nqobile Mbanjwa, Smanga Ngubane, Zamo Mbutho, Sipho Nxumalo, Thulane Galane and their agent Sfiso Ntuli. |
“When I was
younger, my mother sent me to buy vegetables, but I went and bought a guitar
instead. I was punished severely and the kids at school heard about the
incident and they gave me the nickname Sginzi (meaning guitar).”
This is what
59-year-old Sipho Nxumalo, co-founder of Amarayoni, said after their
performance at The Bannister Hotel in Braamfontein, Joburg. They
performed audience favourites such as: Summer
Time, Ain’t no Sunshine, Nontsokolo, Meadowlands, Lizzy, Voetsek, Mbube and Abe lungu.
The five-men
amarabi group had just arrived from performing in Port Elizabeth, and one their
members, group co-founder Zamo Mbutho (55) prepares to jet off to New York. He is going to join Angelique Kidjo to perform
at Kennergy Hall.
As the group
sat down to have a meal after their performance, Thulane Galane (40), who is
also a pastor at Rolim Ministries in Roodepoort, urged everyone to observe a
moment of silence as he blessed the food.
“We’ve been
singing together for 10 years. We meet at Zamo’s place every Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursdays to practise. With the group, I’ve been to Benin and Mexico,” said
Thulane.
The group
released their first album in 2000 called Lions,
then produced another one called Azzapella
in 2003 and Zamo released his in August 2014 called Zamo at Last. “The album is
doing well. I perform at the airport on Fridays from 3pm to 7pm to promote it.
Metro FM and Ukhozi FM played some of its songs and I was interviewed by Power
FM recently. I also did an interview on SABC 2’s Weekend Live. So, so far, so good,” said Zamo, father of two girls
and two boys.
So where did
it all begin?
Back in the 1980, there was a talent competition at Himalaya Hotel where Sipho was a drummer for a group called Reunited. “I started music at a tender age of 12. My father was a priest of a Zion church and I used to play the drum and lead the choir. I come from a big family at Eshowe in KZN. I have 18 siblings,” said Sipho, divorced father of eight kids.
“I met Zamo
at the competition called Lion Lager Road Show. He was a vocalist and didn’t
have a band, so I backed him. We ended up winning the competition that night.
So from there sa hlangan’e jozi and Amarayoni was born.”
Other
members of the group are Smanga Ngubane (40), who is expecting a baby boy with
his girlfriend. He sings first turner. Nqobile Mbanjwa (38) sings base. He said
he dropped out of the group from 2003 to 2008 because of overseas work -- singing
and acting. When he is not at home with his wife and one child, and not with
Amarayoni, Ngobile is busy with his freelance work as a studio sound engineer
and music producer. He said he could not explain how being part of Amarayoni
feels like. “It’s hard to explain. It’s home. It feels like home. It’s family,”
said Nqobile.
Amarayoni
said they were formed in the early 1990s when Zamo came with the idea. “I got
tired of back-up singing and I told the guys that how about we start our own
thing – just voices, without instruments. So I said to them ‘Let’s just sing
boys,’ and we all agreed,” he said.
“We are not just singing for ourselves, we are singing for God. Many people enjoy our music.”
The group
has backed, sang and performed with musical legends such as Chicco, Yvonne
Chaka Chaka, Mariam Makema, Caifus Semenya, Mercy Phakela, Brenda Fassie,
Stimella, Johny Glegg for 10 years and Rebecca Malope to name a few.
“There isn’t
a place overseas that I don’t know … France, Mexico, you name it,” said Sipho. I
couldn’t help but notice the interesting and beautiful beads on his head and
asked what they represent: “Mina ngi ibhinca, I’m a real Zulu man.”
The group
has had its fair share of challenges. They all admit that it has not been an
easy journey but passion and the love of what they do, as well as the support
they receive from supporters, kept them going. “There’s still a lot that we
want to achieve. We’re looking for someone who can dress us,” joked Zamo. “But
on a more serious note, we need a platform. We need to be heard. Most radio
stations don’t play our music, they say we are not their genre. We sing isicathamiya
… African jazz. We also need a manager. We need someone who is experienced and
well connected who will understand our music and manage the business. At the
moment we are trying to do everything ourselves and it’s like pushing a car
with a hand brake on, and we’ve managed to push it this far,” said Zamo.
Asked where
they could be reached at, Sipho, who seems to be the funny man of the group,
said: I said ngi ibhinca, I’m not on Twitter. I don’t tweet. You tweet
yourself. I don’t have time for that. When I’m not with the group, I’m alone.”
For more
information on the group, their album, or to book them, contact Zamo Mbutho by
e-mailing rayonni@yahoo.com.
@Refilwethobega
*This
article was also published in Sun Buzz,
Daily Sun.
