#Thread So, a long-ish thread on Zim gospel.

It’s hard to know where to start; Freedom Sengwayo? Machanic Manyeruke? Jordan Chataika? Brian Sibalo? We’ll share very brief histories on them.

Some of the pioneers of recording gospel music: In the 70s, these two young nuns, Gertrude Matsika and Tendai Maminimini, defied church convention and patriarchy and took up guitars and recorded music.

Jordan Chataika: Born in Bulawayo in 1939. In 1960, aged 21, he got a job as petrol attendant at Kamfinsa. There, he taught a work colleague how to play a guitar. Impressed, that fella’s dad bought Jordan a new guitar.

Chataika wasn’t a gospel singer then; he was one of those famous ‘dzemagitare/omasganda’ fellas who roved around playing guitar. Problem for Jordan was, he had a disability, so this limited him

In 1961, Jordan met one of the famous solo guitar legends, one Safirio Madzikatire. He recorded his first seven single, “Vana Va-Israel”, with Safirio’s help