UNDISPUTED sungura kingpin Alick Macheso has paid tribute to Nicholas Zakaria, the “senior lecturer” who laid the way for him to rise from being a Khiama Boys bassist to lead his own trailblazing band which has been a permanent feature of Zimbabwean music for over two decades.

“Kwazvakatangira. Ndinotenda zvikurusa. More life mudhara, Happy Birthday.

Rudo pamberi. #BandRevanhu,” said Macheso in his birthday message.

Zakaria celebrated his 64 birthday early this week, and said he relished tales in his 40-year musical journey.

The musician who has earned himself nicknames such as “Senior Lecture” and “Professor” has seen a lot and his tales actually need a thick-volume memoire to be drained.

Zakaria has endured all the pain, beginning music at a time when the art was condemned socially and going through the changing music landscape for more than 40 years.

His musical journey is a tale of twist and turns.

The musician started music in 1975 in Mazowe with a group called Green Mangoes before he moved to the capital where he teamed up with Solo Makore, Shepherd Chinyani, Sam Chikudzura and Wellington Sakala to form Vhuka Boys around 1980.

Zakaria and Macheso
Vhuka boys could not last longer as he decided to move on and form his Khiama Boys around 1984.

He recalls the ups and downs in the early days of Khiama Boys when he worked with Tineyi Chikupo, Cephas Karushanga, Lovemore Tom, Sam Chikudzura and Margaret Gweshe before Alick Macheso replaced Tom when he fell ill.

“When leader of Vhuka Boys Sherpard Chinyani decided persue other interests outside music I then decided to take most of the band members with me to start our outfit Khiama Boys,” he said.

Zakaria later married Gweshe and she dropped out of music to become a house wife. They are still together. -Zimbabwe Voice