His music still sounds fresh as well as current and continues to give latest releases a good run.
Yet this year marks two decades since the legendary Leonard ‘Musoro weNyoka’ passed on to the yonder world.
The timeless messages in his music have not stopped impacting lives.
Worming its way into the hearts of many who were not even born when the artiste was at his peak, the music has kept the prolific singer, songwriter and instrumentalist alive.
Born Kwangwari Gwaindepi, on February 6 1959, he died at the relatively young age of 37 on April 9 1996.
Short was his time, many a fan feels, but he had a phenomenal output of work, which was of high quality.
The superstar possessed a talent that put him above his peers on many levels.
He strummed the lead guitar in a way many just dream of.
So exquisite were his vocals that angels passing over his shows could have paused mid-flight.
And his compositions and arrangement could turn the Mozarts and Beethovens green with envy.
All his songs, even those released in the 1980s and early 1990s, easily transcended into the new millennia.
The depth of his compositions endeared him to the masses, making him a voice of the voiceless.
“He was born in a poor family, he received a basic education and most of his songs were influenced by his background,” said Raphael Makwiramiti, Dembo’s former manager.
In songs such as ‘Babamunini’ he tackles issues affecting society, especially the need for families to look out for each other.
He did not deviate from his Shona tradition and culture.
His is definitely not what has been referred to as ‘bubblegum’ music as it has stood the test of time.
“His music came from the heart and he regarded it as a lifetime practice,” said Makwiramiti.
Songs such as ‘Venenzia’, ‘Murombo’, ‘Kugaro Roja’ and ‘Nhamo Moto’ are as relevant today as they were during their release.
For Dembo, music was not just for entertainment but a tool to teach and shape lives.
The Patriot Arts caught up with Raphael Makwiramiti who was Dembo‘s manager.
The affable Makwiramiti who lit up as he went down memory lane said a combination of hard work and dedicated production houses guaranteed quality products.
Dembo, he said, was a stickler for detail who oversaw his productions with the precision of an eagle.
“We survived in the days when Gramma Records was fully operational. And music would not just be recorded without passing a rigorous quality test.
“Gramma thoroughly assessed music before it was produced. This meant that an artiste had to ensure that his music was perfect before it could be accepted for recording,” said Makwiramiti.
The musician who grew up in Buhera and Bulawayo, eventually finding his way to Harare did not allow his lack of adequate education to destroy his ambitions and dreams.
According to Makwiramiti, Dembo was a deep and thoughtful person steeped in his traditional beliefs.
While so much is known about his music, the musician was one never eager to divulge details of his private life.
His intense desire for privacy is cited by some as the reason the musician had few photographs taken and why he did not make many music videos.
The only musical videos he made in his illustrious career were for the songs ‘Sharai’ and ‘Manager’.
Even when his music received rave reviews regionally, with the hit ‘Chitekete’ being played at the Miss World Pageant in Namibia in 1996, he still kept a low profile when he was not doing music business.
Those close to him said the artiste would pay huge amounts of money for negatives to those who took photographs of him.
It is said he took to wearing hats that covered his face.
And some said his deep desire for privacy and aversion of publicity was as a result of the fear of being bewitched.
“One of the reasons Dembo did not want to make videos and have his pictures taken often was that he was a traditional man and he believed that fellow musicians and other people could use juju on him,” Makwiramiti concurred.
“Everybody came to know Dembo because of ‘Chitekete’, it was a hit and it put us on the map, so good was the song that many began to revisit his music.”
He deeply loved his children and he kept them far away from the media and the limelight.
His children, the prominent ones, Tendai and Morgan who are following in their father’s musical footsteps, only came to the fore and became known when they joined music.
“He loved his children so much that on every outing he would buy them things such as toys and clothes without fail. He was the kind of father who never went home empty-handed,” he said.
The musician was not keen on interviews and rarely granted them.
His legacy lives on.