About this artist
If the name alone doesn't intrigue you, the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band's story should. Formed near a Zimbabwe mine to entertain itinerant (and illiterate) mine workers, the group blossomed during the end of Zimbabwe's ugly and unjust colonial era. Members included a young Thomas Mapfumo, who played drums and sang briefly with the band and played, for the first time in his life, traditional African music on Western instruments. But that's not the only reason this 1970s-era pickup group deserves a place in the African music pantheon. Composed of members hailing from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the band reflected its audience's makeup and diverse musical tastes, and the resulting melange was spectacular: what should have been a forgettable knock-off became a purveyor of incandescent African pop. The guitars alone jangle in ways that would make indie-rock fans drool, and the grooves (particularly Mapfumo's) sparkle and ache in a way that's peculiarly African. In 1974 Hallelujah Chicken Run Band won a contest for Best Traditional Zim Style, reflecting their skill at translating traditional music from Zimbabwe (and Malawi and Mozambique) onto modern instrumentation. Though Mapfumo was fired for complaining when the band's wages were cut by mine boss Mr. Walker, the group continued to play and record until the end of the '70s.