The Sunday Mail
THE musical Chimbetus are in the process of creating a united dendera band comprising only of family members, The Sunday Mail Leisure has learnt.
(From left) Tryson, Suluman, Allan and Douglas28
There are many acts doing duty in the dendera league and for increased impact in the cut-throat music industry, surviving godfather of the genre, Allan Chimbetu, has called for a unified family outfit.
The Dendera United ensemble will comprise Allan, Suluman, Tryson, Douglas and any other musically-inclined Chimbetu family members.
Apart from the gentlemen, the Chimbetu family also boasts of sisters Saiwe (Simon’s daughter), a vocalist, and Miriam (Naison’s daughter), who plays the bass guitar.
The dendera brand that Simon and his brother Naison created has had many family members feeding from it – many of them rubbing each other up the wrong way in the process.
In 2014 Tryson and Sulu held separate gigs to honour the life of the late music icon, Simon “Chopper” Chimbetu.
Accusations and counter-accusations ranging from sabotage to the use of juju made headlines in the period in question. This, however, changed last year.
The Chimbetu family re-united for the commemorative gig that is held annually in August.
And since then, through maturity and perhaps the unifying spirit of Chopper, the voice of reason has been dominating. It appears the idea of a united front is now more than just a dream.
In an interview with this publication, patriarch Allan said: “This is not my idea. It was a decision that was made by the whole family and it is my role as the father figure to make sure that the idea of a unified dendera ensemble comes to fruition. The boys are in agreement, hence we are not going to have a problem.”
Chopper tried to keep the family united and used his own money to care for all. That task has fallen on Allan’s shoulders.
“We are looking at doing festivals around the country. The group will only be coming together for specific shows say once or so a month or after an agreed period. This means everyone will get to keep their bands intact and we will only join hands for the special occasions,” explained Allan.
His task may not be that difficult after all considering the Chimbetu sisters have already demonstrated the plan can work.
A couple of years back, Saiwe recorded a gospel album with sisters Memory and Hazel, and Tryson’s sisters Blessing and Miriam.
“The boys have their differences but I’m sure this will work out. They have shown eagerness but if they along the way disagree, I will use my powers as the family head to guarantee the anticipated outcome,” said Allan.
Simon’s son Sulu said things were changing for the better in the Chimbetu family.
“This is a good move. The idea fosters family accord. I have always been advocating for this to happen. The noble idea will certainly arouse interests and equally benefit each and every member of the family. If artistes like Morgan Heritage benefited from combining forces, why can’t we do the same?
“The move will certainly create a fresh wave of thought within the dendera family and fans. So whenever the guys are ready, I’m free to join them. Doing this a few times a year will definitely not affect our individual groups. Unity will aid the growth of the dendera brand,” said Sulu.
Likewise, Tryson is also warm to the initiative.
“I’m open to work with anyone and that includes every member of my family. This is the reason why I had no problems recording a song with Sulu sometime last year though it is yet to be released. I’m still to get finer details though on how the group will be operating and when it will be officially unveiled,” said Tryson.
Allan’s son Douglas was even more ecstatic: “We have been working hard for this to happen. Allan, Tryson, Sulu and I will certainly deliver a show of a lifetime or record a scorcher of an album on any given day. It will be explosive.
“This is what many people have been encouraging us to do. It might be a solution to some if not most of the challenges that we face in the music industry. No date has been given for the group’s launch but I’m sure the unveiling is now imminent.”
