Joseph Kamaru: The Elder And The Younger

Two Kenyan musicians, a generation removed. Both named Joseph Kamaru.

Here's one from the archive. Rather than reinvent the wheel in writing about the Kamarus, I called out a few articles that already existed.

Kenyan musician, KMRU, is known for - among other things - releasing a lot of music. His Bandcamp page describes him simply as a "sound artist," but he's often given the "ambient" tag. He's gotten a fair amount of press so far. Here's a Daily Bandcamp article and a Pitchfork profile, both from 2021.

KRMU is Joseph Kamaru. But that name would likely be familiar to older fans of Kenyan music. Since it's also the name of his late grandfather, another prolific musician. The elder Kamaru passed in 2018, just shy of 80 years old.

In addition to managing his own active musical career, KMRU has undertaken the formidable project of making sure that his grandfather's legacy is preserved.

The elder Kamaru also has a Bandcamp page. Which notes:

Little known outside of Africa, Joseph Kamaru has been influencing the music scene in his homeland of Kenya since 1967...Kamaru was a Kenyan Benga and gospel musician and political activist, an an icon, a hero, and a leading Kikuyu musician...Joseph Kamaru was one of the most influential musician and artist in Kenya with a large music output of over 1,000 songs. His engagement with the music for more than fifty seventy (57) years brings topical issues, social commentary, political satire and deep Cultural (Gikuyu) traditions.

Between these two artists, there's enough music to keep listeners busy for quite a while. For a little more background, try "A Tale of Two Kamarus," from The Pan African Music Magazine.