Midweek Bonus Picks - Thomas Mapfumo's Birthday/Nephew, Bobby Sherman & Ghana, Dire Straits In The Desert
Midweek Bonus Picks are quick snippets of interesting stuff that's worth a look or listen.
We feature a Pick of the Week every Saturday. Now we've added Midweek Bonus Picks, which are quick snippets of interesting stuff that's worth a look or listen.
Thomas Mapfumo's Birthday/Nephew
Thomas Mapfumo turns 80 today - though some sources say tomorrow. Here's an article from the Zimbabwean press that briefly made note of the milestone.
If Kurai Mapfumo's name sounds familiar, there's a reason for that. He's Thomas Mapfumo's nephew and he's taken up the family business, with the blessing of his uncle. His group is the Black Lions Band and he's released two albums so far - Garaunzwe (2020) and Ngoma Kurira (2022).
Bobby Sherman & Ghana
Bobby Sherman passed recently. Best known as a teen idol, he later moved into law enforcement and he and his wife also set up a foundation in Ghana - The Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation (BBSCF). Here's the lowdown:
The Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation was launched in 2011 by activist Brigitte Sherman and former teen idol Bobby Sherman. The Brigitte & Bobby Sherman Children's Foundation is a Ghana-based youth center dedicated to blending music and education together. The mission of the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation is to provide children in Ghana with quality education and the tools needed to succeed. Our goal is to prepare and motivate children at the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation to continue their education after high school and to allow them to experience the magic of expressing themselves through music.
Dire Straits In The Desert
We've written about a number of non-African musicians who were or are popular in Africa and were an influence on African musicians, including country artists Jimmie Rodgers, Jim Reeves, Don Williams, and more.
It turns out that that Dire Straits has had a significant influence among musicians in some of the desert countries. Afropop Worldwide looked into influences in an episode a while back, including Dire Straits. Scroll down for Nadi Band (Libya) doing a cover of "Sultans of Swing".