Robson Banda & the New Black Eagles
Group Biography -- Group Discography -- Compilation Appearances

Biography

band members include:
Robson Banda (vocals, guitar. Died: 1998)
Job Mteswa (Died: 1996)
Biggie Phiri (Died: 2000)
John Chivere (guitar)
Daniel Zande (Died: 1998)

Along with his brother Biggie, Robson Banda is one of the many Congolese musicians in Zimbabwe. He has worked with various bands, including Jonah Moyo & Devera Ngwena (with which he played bass for two years), Thomas Mapfumo & the Acid Band, and James Chimombe. Despite originally hailing from the Congo, and being born in Zambia, Robson and his band, the New Black Eagles, play a style much closer to chimurenga than soukous or rhumba. Robson has worked many Zimbabwean elements into his music, including mbira-based guitar licks and the shona language. Not only has the time he spent in Thomas Mapfumo's Acid band become a great influence, but the popular jit of Zimbabwe has as well. Ever since he released Tauya Ne Zimbabwe in 1979 with the New Black Eagles, Banda has managed to mix Zimbabwean guitar-based dance music with the mbria-based chimurenga of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.

Accordingly, Mapfumo's ZimBob label released a Greatest Hits compilation in 1994. Robson Banda died in 1999. Guitarist John Chivere, the sole surviving member, plans to re-assemble the Black Eagles with new musicians and continue making music.

Sources: Zindi, Roots Rocking in Zimbabwe, Zindi, MusicYeZimbabwe and Turino, Nationalists, Cosmopolitans, and Music in Zimbabwe.

Discography (limited) Greatest Hits ZimBob 1994 Gehena (Denga Haurinde) Gramma   Dzinomwa Muna Save     Soweto Gramma 1988 Ngoma Ngairire Gramma 1987 Mukwasha Gramma   Sango Rinopa Waneta Gramma   Sidudhla Gramma 1983

Compilation Appearances Zimbabwe Frontline One Nyimbo Yakwasu Masvingo Netara Zimbabwe Frontline Two Masvingo Netara Dzinomwa Muna Save Jit Soundtrack Ngoma Ngairire Farirai Mwana Auya Early Hits of Zimbabwe Soweto

Natari lists Soweto as an available LP.

Ngoma Ngairire

Released: 1987
Label: Gramma - KSALP 121
Format: LP, CD
Running Time: 32 minutes, 6 tracks.
Stocked by: Natari

Greatest Hits

Released: 1994
Label: ZimBob - Zim5
Format: CD
Running Time: 69 minutes, 13 tracks.
Stocked by: Barnes & Noble, Dandemutande, Stern's, Amazon, Natari, Zimsounds

This compilation, the next in ZimBob's Legends of Zimbabwe series, "draws its fire from four previous albums released only in Zimbabwe. These tunes, while staying within the Chimurenga music pioneered by Thomas Mapfumo and Jonah Sithole, is nonetheless very crisp, with emphasis on upbeat dance music favoured on the floors of Zimbabwe's night spots. While Banda's eloquent voice weaves poetry around the steady roots beat, the lead guitar of John Chivere licks the ear with razor-sharp intensity" (from RootsWorld review, 1996). Kupfuma Haruna Nharo is one of my personal favourites.