Andy Brown (14)

Andy Brown was born Maunganidze Kedia Shoko on March 15, 1962, in Mberengwa to a German father and a Zimbabwean mother, Zvondiwe Ncube and went to school at Chavengwa Primary School and Mavorondo Secondary School. Brown's family relocated to Bulawayo and he was thus forced to finish his secondary school education at Founders High School. Andy Brown was once married to Chiwoniso Maraire. At the time of his death, he was married to Nadine Brown. He had ten children from his different marriages Devona, Ammara, Shala, Alexander, Chengeto, Chiedza, Ushe, Jason, Andy Brown Junior and Alzaeed. He attended Founders High School in Bulawayo for his secondary education. Brown started singing at a tender age. It is allegedly reported that whilst he was at Founders High School, he bunked classes to play his guitar. After leaving the school he had a brief stint with Ebony Shiek before teaming up with Gabriel Green with whom he formed the group Pisces in 1980. Andy relocated to Harare where he formed the group Grabb with Rozalla Miller and Boykie Moore but the group disintegrated when Rozalla moved to England in 1984. The following year Brown worked with the Rusike Brothers but this was to last for a short period. From working with the Rusike Brothers, he worked teamed up with Don Gumbo and Brian Paul in 1986 to form Ilanga. Some members of Ilanga included Busi Ncube, Don Gumbo, Munya Brown, Chinx Chingaira, Keith Farquharson, Adam Chisvo and Gibson Mangena. Despite being one of the best groups in the country in the late 1980s, the group was short-lived. Brown left Ilanga in 1988 to form his own group The Storm. He, however, relocated to South Africa where he joined the group We Three and penned all the songs for one of their albums. Whilst in South Africa, he also played as a session musician for several musicians amongst them was the famous reggae star, Jambo. In in 1995, he returned back to Zimbabwe and upon his return, he recorded the album Gondwanaland which became a hit with such songs as Tichangoshaina and Zindoga. Andy Brown was also part of the More Fire Crew which recorded several Chimurenga songs some of which included a cover version of the song "Mbuya Nehanda kufa vachitaura". By 1997, his group, The Storm, consisted of Sam Mataure (who was the drummer), Ian Hillman (bass guitarist), Adam Chisvo (mbira/percussions), Keith Farquharson (keyboardist), Chiwoniso Maraire (vocals/mbira/percussions), Mwendi Chibindi (background vocals), and Paddy Moyo, the manager. In June 1997 Andy successfully launched his sixth album, Tigere. All the tracks on this album maintained a prominent traditional rhythm. The political affiliation of Andy Brown has not been a contested issue, he was over the years linked to Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) with much of the speculation being generated from the nature of his songs such as "Chigaro Chamambo" and also through his role in the music group "More Fire Crew". Prior to that, he had also shown a keen interest in political issues through songs such as "Botha" in which he spoke about the Apartheid regime in colonial South Africa. He also composed other tracks with a political flavour such as "Tongogara" and "Chigaro Chamambo". Between 2000 and 2012 Andy’s rise to stardom was hindered by his decision to get involved in politics as he publicly supported ZANU PF's Third Chimurenga. His discography: 1989 The Storm 1990 Chimvuramabhwe 1991 Feed Me 1995 Gondwanaland 1996 Let The Children 1997 Tigere 1998 Harare 1999 Hondo YeSadza 2001 Tongogara 2003 Passage of Time 2005 Chiedza