THE late Bundu Boys band music superstar Biggie Tembo’s father(R) is no more. He passed away in Hurungwe on Wednesday.
Patrinyu Tembo Marasha will be buried today in Doro Village under Chief Gon’a in Mashonaland West.
In an interview with H-Metro, Biggie Tembo Junior(L) confirmed the death and said his grandfather (whose age could not be established at the time of going to print) was asthmatic.
“My grandfather died on Wednesday (yesterday) in the morning even though we could not immediately establish the cause of his death.
“What I know is that he was diagnosed with asthma when he was still an employee at Chinhoyi Transport where my late father (Biggie Tembo Senior) got his name from the whites owing to his big and imposing stature.
“It’s unfortunate that I won’t be able to travel to attend the funeral owing to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
“I would have loved to attend the burial and bid him farewell since I wanted him to come and bless my album launch which was due in February since he never attended any of my shows,” he said. Biggie Tembo Junior said they will greatly miss their late grandpa for his role as a unifier.
Biggie Tembo being interviewed-hmetro
About the Bundu Boys
Biggie Tembo was part of this musical outfit which performed in UK in the 10980s. The star studded band included Rise Kagona, Shakie Kagwena, Kenny Chitsvatsva and Shepherd Munyama. They made a lot of money then and lost everything due to disagreements, mistrust and bad management.
At the height of their fame in 1989, the Bhundu Boys were signed to Warner Records (WEA), the same label which had also signed the likes of Madonna, Prince, Al Jarreau, Chicago, The Everley Brothers and Hugh Masekela. They toured North America, Australia and Hong Kong, chauffeured to venues from luxury hotels. With advance royalties from WEA, they bought a large house in London. They also shared Wembley stadium stage with Madonna at one point.
Bundu boys and Biggie Tembo -right
Bundu Boys as Madonna’s special guest at Wembley show
At the height of his success in 1989, Biggie Tembo, one of the most convivial and engaging men in the band, bought a four-bedroomed house with a swimming pool in an affluent suburb of Hillside in Harare where he lived with his wife, Ratidzai Biggie jnr before they lost it all.
As is often the case in the music business, it was when the band became so popular that things went terribly wrong. Biggie Tembo became big-headed as their reputation grew even bigger. One evening, after the Brixton show, he reportedly said, “Can you believe it! A mere garden boy from Chinhoyi commanding 5 000 whites to ululate when I shout mhururu-mhururu”.
Tembo began to think he was bigger than the band.
Biggie Tembo was later fired from the Bhundu Boys and he found that reflection very difficult to deal with. At almost the same time, he discovered for the first time that the man who brought him up as his son in Chinhoyi was not his biological father. He was subsequently admitted in a mental hospital in Chinhoyi. He said: “I cannot deal with this. This has been such a shock”.
In 1997 he was found hanged in the psychiatric unit of Harare Hospital.
He was 37.
