Tutankhamen

Tutankhamen (also famously known in their later recording era as New Tutenkhamen) stands as one of the most sophisticated, creatively adventurous, and historically significant musical collectives to emerge from Zimbabwe's golden era of 1970s township music. Formed in Salisbury (now Harare) during the height of the liberation struggle and the country's pre-independence cultural renaissance, the seven-piece ensemble blended Afro-jazz, soul, brassy funk, ska, and traditional Zimbabwean township rhythms into an eclectic, highly infectious sound that captivated young audiences across the nation. Led by the charismatic singer, guitarist, and master arranger Elisha Josamu, Tutankhamen represented a bridge between the classic African jazz traditions of the 1960s and the explosive, politically charged roots-rock and soul movements that defined the late 1970s.

The band's genesis lay in the fertile, cross-pollinating music scene of Harare's African townships — Mbare, Highfield, and Mabvuku — where young, highly talented musicians gathered in community halls, youth centres, and night spots to forge a modern musical identity under the heavy shadow of colonial rule and racial segregation. Under Elisha Josamu's visionary leadership, Tutankhamen assembled a stellar line-up of instrumentalists and vocalists who would go on to become giants of Southern African music in their own right. Among these was the legendary drummer Jethro Shasha, a percussion prodigy whose extraordinary technical skill and polyrhythmic drive later propelled him to international acclaim with continental superstars like Salif Keita and Hugh Masekela. The ensemble also featured the soulful vocal talents of Maggie Mbuli, multi-instrumentalist Paul Sekerani, and a tight, punchy horn section that gave the group its signature brassy, big-city sophistication.

Musically, Tutankhamen occupied a unique niche in the 1970s Zimbabwean soundscape. While contemporaries like Thomas Mapfumo focused on the traditional, mbira-driven chimurenga style and bands like Wells Fargo pioneered heavy fuzz-rock, Tutankhamen embraced an expansive, internationalist approach to African popular music. Their compositions seamlessly fused the brassy, danceable energy of South African kwela and mbaqanga with American R&B, James Brown-style funk, British ska, and traditional Shona and Ndebele rhythmic structures. This cosmopolitan fusion resonated powerfully with urban township youth, who saw in Tutankhamen's sleek, modern sound a reflection of their own aspirations, cosmopolitan tastes, and refusal to be defined by the restrictive racial boundaries of colonial Rhodesia.

During the mid-to-late 1970s, Tutankhamen recorded a series of hugely popular 7-inch vinyl singles that dominated township jukeboxes and dancefloors. Among their most beloved releases was 'Itai Cent Cent', an irresistibly catchy, rhythmically infectious track that celebrated community solidarity, thrift, and mutual support during times of economic hardship. The song's cultural impact was so profound and long-lasting that following Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) selected 'Itai Cent Cent' as the official theme song for its popular national insurance and financial advice television and radio programme, ensuring that the band's melody remained familiar to millions of Zimbabwean households for decades.

Another crowning achievement of the group's single releases was the immortal track 'Joburg Bound' (released under the name New Tutenkhamen). Written by Elisha Josamu, 'Joburg Bound' spoke directly to the deep-seated Southern African experience of migrant labour and urban longing — telling the story of a young man leaving his homeland for the gold mines and bustling streets of Johannesburg. Driven by a propulsive, ska-inflected bassline, soaring horn lines, and Josamu's emotive lead vocals, 'Joburg Bound' became an instant classic across the region, celebrated for its perfect balance of danceable rhythm and poignant social observation.

Despite their widespread popularity and frequent live performances across Rhodesia's townships, recording a full-length long-play (LP) album was an extraordinary challenge for black musicians in the late 1970s due to war-time curfews, studio rationing, and political censorship. Nevertheless, in 1979 — at the absolute zenith of the liberation war — New Tutenkhamen entered the Teal Record Company studios in Harare alongside pioneering black executive producer and legendary jazz drummer Crispen Matema. Together, they laid down a masterwork album titled 'I Wish You Were Mine'. The ten-track LP showcased the full spectrum of the band's artistry, featuring the driving, brass-heavy opener 'Tutenkhamen Theme', soul-funk stompers like 'Sunday Morning' and 'Big Brother Malcolm', romantic ballads such as 'True Love' and 'Forever Together', and the anthemic 'Joburg Bound'.

Tragically, due to the severe political turmoil, wartime curfews, and economic collapse that marked the final months of the Rhodesian regime in 1979, the 'I Wish You Were Mine' LP received extremely limited distribution upon its initial pressing. As the band members gradually drifted apart following independence to pursue separate careers — with Jethro Shasha touring internationally and Elisha Josamu continuing his prolific career as a composer and bandleader — the physical vinyl copies of 'I Wish You Were Mine' virtually vanished from circulation. For nearly four decades, the album acquired a mythic status among African music historians, ethnomusicologists, and vinyl collectors worldwide: a legendary 'lost album' that everyone talked about but almost no one had ever actually heard or seen.

The miraculous resurrection of Tutankhamen's lost album occurred four decades later through the dedicated efforts of French music researcher Charles Houdart, co-founder of the acclaimed independent label Nyami Nyami Records. While living in Zimbabwe, Houdart repeatedly heard veteran musicians and music lovers speak of Elisha Josamu and the legendary lost 'Joburg Bound' album, yet no copy could be found in radio archives, record shops, or private collections anywhere in Southern Africa or on international databases like Discogs. Persistent detective work ultimately led Houdart to the celebrated Zimbabwean author, ethnomusicologist, and cultural archivist Joyce Jenje Makwenda, who possessed what was believed to be the sole surviving original vinyl copy of the 1979 LP in her personal archive.

Working closely with Joyce Jenje Makwenda and licensing the master rights through the family of original executive producer Crispen Matema, Nyami Nyami Records painstakingly restored and reissued 'I Wish You Were Mine' on vinyl and digital formats in February 2019. The reissue received ecstatic global critical acclaim from major international publications including The Vinyl Factory, Pan African Music, Bandcamp Daily, and BBC Radio. Reviewers hailed the record as a lost masterpiece of 1970s African soul and jazz, praising Elisha Josamu's brilliant arrangements, Jethro Shasha's electrifying drum work, and the band's seamless, joyful synthesis of African and Western musical traditions during a time of national crisis.

In 2025, Tutankhamen's legacy was further celebrated when Germany's renowned archival label Analog Africa selected 'Joburg Bound' as a flagship single for its landmark compilation 'Roots Rocking Zimbabwe — The Modern Sound of Harare's Townships 1975–1980' (Analog Africa Nº 41). Introduced to a new generation of global listeners, DJs, and music lovers across Europe, North America, and Asia, the band's recordings continue to attract millions of streams and critical praise, cementing Tutankhamen's status as one of the most innovative and enduring groups in Southern African musical history.

Beyond their technical brilliance and infectious grooves, Tutankhamen's true significance lies in their role as cultural innovators who captured the spirit, resilience, and cosmopolitan elegance of Zimbabwean township life during a transformative historical era. In the face of colonial oppression and war, Elisha Josamu, Jethro Shasha, Maggie Mbuli, Paul Sekerani, and their bandmates used the universal language of music to uplift their people, celebrate their shared humanity, and create art of timeless beauty that outlasted the regime that sought to suppress it.

Today, Tutankhamen stands proudly enshrined on the Zimbabwe Digital Wall of Fame as a true ZimLegend — a pioneering Afro-jazz and soul-funk powerhouse whose classic recordings 'Joburg Bound', 'Itai Cent Cent', 'Tutenkhamen Theme', and 'I Wish You Were Mine' remain immortal treasures of Zimbabwe's cultural heritage, continuing to inspire, move, and delight music lovers around the world.

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