Rodrick "Cowboy" Chemudara's name is quite familiar in sungura circles.
Like most peers of his generation, he started from the bottom as he weaved his way to acclaim.
He navigated a rough terrain of tears, thorns and threats in search of fame and fortune.
Largely self-taught, Chemudara once played homemade banjos and later refined his skills under the tutelage of professionals.
A self-confessed school dropout, Chemudara had no one to fund his education to proceed to Ordinary Level despite being academically gifted.
He immediately found sanctuary in playing guitars as a herd boy in the Domboshava communal lands but later formed his group, Dombo Stars, which folded in 1994.
This was after the late John Chibadura persuaded him to join his camp (Tembo Brothers) where he instantly established himself as an instrumentalist and backing vocalist of repute.
He vastly toured Mozambique, England and Ireland with the late Chibadura and created memories.
Many in sungura circles know him for his prowess after using Chibadura's flirtation as a springboard in music.
Sadly, his joy was cut in 1999 when Chibadura met the Maker.
As the most experienced band member who could sing, compose and arrange music well, Chemudara vowed to keep his former paymaster's legacy alive using the Tembo Brothers banner.
Due to in-house squabbles, Chemudara re-branded and renamed his backing group Afro Kings.
At 54, Chemudara, who relocated to the United Kingdom in 2015, still has fond memories of Chibadura.
Chemudara still misses home and local fans who used to rally behind them during live shows.
He believes he can write books about his life and experiences with Chibadura.
Most of his unforgettable experiences came when he was still working with Chibadura.
Taking The Herald Arts down memory lane, Chemudara insists he hasn't lost track of his peers despite settling in the UK with his musician wife, Ruth Tiriboyi.
"I came here in 2015 where I work at a warehouse in London as a forklift operator. I can't complain because I can manage to fend for my family, buy my studio equipment and look after my children.
"In the United Kingdom, we work hard but I always find time to do music," said the singer from his UK base.
"I have a special programme designed for my schedule to ensure I give myself enough time to work at the warehouse and be at home with family. I utilise my off days to be productive because here in the United Kingdom it's all about hard work.
"On that note, I don't regret relocating to the UK because I can see a big change in my life as compared to the time when I was living in Zimbabwe."
Chemudara, who regularly visits home on vacation, is still doing music on a professional level.
"I haven't stopped recording music, which made me popular in Zimbabwe. Last week, we released two singles namely 'Muvengi' and 'Fudza Mombe'. I will be releasing an album end of November if all goes according to plan."
Relieving his days in Zimbabwe, Chemudara recalled:
"My career would be meaningless without mentioning Chibadura because he was a loving brother with an ear for good music. He persuaded me to join him and worked under him till he died in 1999. He used to write some of his songs but he would create new songs during life shows through experiences.
"He recorded the song 'Mukadzi Wamakandiroorera' on stage and we developed it in the studio."
He also conceded his world nearly crumbled after losing Chibadura 25 years ago.
"During my five-year-stint with him, I can safely say I learnt quite a lot from the tours and everything we did together with him. He treated all of us like family members and he had time with all his band members.
"He knew exactly what we wanted because he was more mature than most of us in the group," explained Chemudara.
He said it took him years to heal from the loss of Chibadura.
"When reality dawned that my brother was no more, I decided to man up and live on.
"I later gathered the courage to be my own man and decided to assemble my new group.
"I still didn't abandon Chibadura's sons since I helped them record their first three albums. I am still in touch with them despite relocating to the United Kingdom."
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On his honest assessment of the progress of the sungura genre, Chemudara was blunt.
"I don't see progress production-wise because some of the top acts that youngsters looked up to are regressing.
"I wonder if producers still have control of the music they produce because there is a lot of noise. The music arrangement is poor while unnecessary chanting of big shots' names, which should be done during live shows has been taken to the studio. There is no difference between a live show and studio recording."
As a solo musician, Chibadura has recorded 10 albums to his name.
These include 'Makomborero' released in 2001, 'Chengeto' (2001), 'Musavarairwe'(2002), 'Ndatadza Kumedza', (2003), 'Vimbikai' (2004), 'Dollar Power' (2007), 'Reminder' (2009), 'Rudo Kunyanya' (2013), 'Focus' (2017) and (Rine Nharo Cowboy) in 2020.
Chemudara was born in 1970 in Domboshava where he attained his primary and secondary education. He was born in a family of four, being the last born. Music has always been his first love although he has interests in farming and entrepreneurship.
