THE music of Zambia’s legendary outfit, Amanaz, is still rocking the international entertainment circuit more than 40 years after its demise in 1976.
This is a band that was featured in this column two years ago, but it appears that, the write up was missed by many of its old faithfuls who keep on enquiring about it. Here is the whole story.
Amanaz came with full force and released one of the most powerful albums on the Zambian music arena but soon disappeared, without satisfafying its fans.
The number of appearances in some parts of the country however did not do the trick as they left a huge crave for the band’s music.
Despite that, the band’s maiden block buster album, Amanaz Africa on Zambia Music Parlour Limited (ZMPL),label, was a gas, stirring up the interest of American and European music purveyors.
The Amanaz Africa album has been highly pirated in countries such as the US, Germany, France, Portugal and Spain.
Its records either in  Vynly or Cds, are the most sought after both in Africa and Europe.
There is information that some of the songs are being translated into other European languages.
Amanaz still stands as one of Zambia’s greatest bands and this columnist has received numerous requests from American fans and records dealers who are in dire need of the outfit’s music.
Listening to some of the numbers such as Khala My Friend, Africa and Making the Scene, one could not imagine that the music was really done by a Zambian band.
This shows why the music is internationally acclaimed and CDs keep on being sold out each time they hit the market.
Amanaz jostled for honours among the original Cross Bones,Tinkles, Gas Company, Peace, Witch, Salty Dog and Dr Footswitch and their beat  was much on the heavy side.
Western bands such as Deep Purple, Grand Funk, Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones and songs from Jimi  Hendrix, highly inspired the Amanaz.
Formed in 1973 in Kitwe, A.M.A.N.A.Z an acronym for; “Ask Me About Nice Artistes In Zambia”, became  a household name and drew great attention from music promoters like ZMPL  director  Edward Khuzwayo and producer Billy Nyati as well as Teal Record Company.
Former band leader Keith Kabwe, who is one of the three survivors of the five-man outfit, did not hide this fact saying, it was actually fame that caused the group’s demise.
“We caused mayhem in various night spots in Lusaka and the Copperbelt, but our instant fame made us crumble,” Kabwe said.
Kabwe, now a Pentecostal Pastor in Mbala, northern Zambia, added, “Sometimes when you become a big hit, it makes you big headed and then things fall apart.”
He recalls the days when the band got well known within a few months rocking places such as night  clubs, Hindu Halls and other special venues which he says were the best for the band.
Amanaz had seasoned guitarists that will never be found again in the Zamrock history and these included Keith himself, who had just joined from the Klasters on vocals and tambourine,
John Kanyepa from the Black Souls on lead, Rhythm and vocals,  Watson Lungu  (drums, vocals), Jerry Mausala from Macbeth on bass and Isaac Mpofu who broke away from the Wrong Number on rhythm guitar.
It was amazing especially that, all the musicians were well exposed and full of experience producing rare but heavy sounds which constituted the Zamrock beat.
“It was a humble beginning that brought together some of the best musicians in the country,” Kabwe says.
Kabwe was then working as dispatch clerk at Caltex at the oil terminal in Ndola when his colleagues, Watson Lungu and Jerry Mausala who were with the Mac Beth band at Nchanga Hotel, decided to break away from that group.
“Keith Mlevhu had also quit Macbeth and we were looking for more members and at that time, we decided to bring our instruments to Ndola at Jerry’s sister in Kansenshi residential area but we later shifted to Kitwe where members Isaac Mpofu and John Kanyepa joined us,” Kabwe says.
It was at the then Zambia Institute of Technology (ZIT) now Copperbelt University (CBU) in Kitwe where a colleague Sundie Ngoma a staffer there, looked after them.
The same year in 1973, the band clinched a deal with Teal Record Company and ZMPL to release the block buster, Amanaz Africa,  which was recorded at Chingola’s Malachite studios.
The 12-track album opened with  an instrumental song, Amanaz, then followed by  I am very Far, Sunday Morning, Khala My Friend,  History of Man, Insunka Lwendo, Africa, Green Apple, Making the Scene,  Easy Street, Pick Enough and Kale.
Amanaz made such a huge impact which also became destructive to itself, with every one feeling that, he was a star and that, without him, the band would be nowhere.
These, according to Kabwe, were the differences that brought the band down and he (Kabwe),  went ahead to form a new band called Drive Unit in 1976.
Drive Unit attracted Ricky Banda of the Chifundo Pa Mutima fame together with Mausala in its ranks.
The band recorded two singles namely, Watch Out and Honest Woman but Kabwe seems not to remember very well the songs on their flip sides.
But Drive Unit was short-lived and broke up the same year putting an end to the otherwise successful journey of the gifted musicians..
Apart from Kabwe, other surviving bandsmen includes Mpofu who is now a farmer in Chongwe and Mausala who is somewhere in Luwingu, Muchinga Province.
Kabwe is running a branch of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Mbala, and is working on a number of gospel songs to be released soon.
Now in his late fifties, Kabwe is married with six children and looks forward to the time when local musicians will take their talents more seriously to keep the direction of Zambian music on course.
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