Zamrock

Zamrock
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 1960s - Early 1970s, Zambia

Zamrock is a musical genre that emerged and gained popularity in Zambia during the early 1970s.[1] It has been described as a fusion of traditional African music and psychedelic rock, garage rock, hard rock, blues and funk, taking influence from popular bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, the Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, and Cream.[2]

Rock musician Rikki Ililonga and his band Musi-O-Tunya are widely regarded as the inventors of this style of music. Other notable artists include WITCH,[3] The Peace, Amanaz, Chrissy "Zebby" Tembo, and Paul Ngozi and his Ngozi Family.[4]

Though it is no longer as popular in the country as it once was due to Zambia's economic difficulties in the late 1970s, Zamrock has seen a recent resurgence, led by former WITCH member Emmanuel Chanda, better known as Jagari.[1]

  1. ^ a b S, Henning Goranson; Press, berg for Think Africa; Network, part of the Guardian Africa (22 July 2013). "Why Zamrock is back in play". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Zamrock: An Introduction to Zambia's 1970s Rich & Psychedelic Rock Scene | Open Culture". Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. ^ WITCH on Dusted Magazine (15 April 2010)
  4. ^ "We're a Zambian Band". the Appendix. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2021.