By Fidelis Manyange

SOME artistes have said piracy made them quit the music industry while others blamed the harsh economic conditions, but that is not the case with Gweru-based Gift Case Amuli.
Despite numerous challenges, he has soldiered on.
And he says music is in his blood.
One of his albums, By Ginya, which he recorded during a difficult phase in his long musical career, bears testimony to the determination of the artiste to stay afloat.
Born in Gweru, Amuli developed a passion for music and guitars while doing his primary school education at Bumburwi Primary School.
He began playing guitars at church.
“After completing primary school, my uncle called me to join him in Zvishavane for my secondary education and that is when I met Joseph Mutero of ‘Mutongi Gava’ fame who was fronting Zvishavane Sounds, a mine band,” said Amuli.
“During my ‘A’-Level studies at Regina Mundi, I joined the Zig-Zag Band who played a sound called chigiyo (Shona traditional reggae type) and I literally played all the instruments,” he said.
Later on, Amuli and the likes of Emmanuel Nkomo, who did vocals on the song ‘Gomo Ramasare’, left the Zig-Zag Band for Zvishavane where they got jobs at Shabanie Mine.
They joined Zvishavane Band which had lost its leader Joseph Mutero who had left to pursue other interests.
Amuli played lead guitar, while Emmanuel Nkomo became the lead vocalist.
When they were about to record their first album Paruvare, Nkomo left and the record did not see the light of day.
“Those days mine bands were a vital part of mines entertainment such that they were incorporated in the budget of the company, thus the mining community service officer, one Wakatama bought us new instruments,” said Amuli
“One day Wakatama called me and said: ‘Iwewe mukaradhi wakachenjera, unogona, ndiwe wandinoda kuti utungamire chikwata’, and that is how I became the bandleader for Zvishavane Sounds to date,” he said.
The recording companies in Harare advised them to leave chigiyo beat which they had adopted from the Zig-Zag Band and turn to sungura which appealed to many people.
To boost the sungura beat, he incorporated the services of veteran musicians of that time, Trevor Madamombe and Davison Macheza.
Together, they recorded the album Remekedzai Upenyu which became an instant hit in 1995.
Amuli managed to buy a vehicle, and other properties.
“The mine provided us a vehicle to carry the band and a bus which ferried fans free of charge to the various venues we played like Maglas, Kandodo and Nil locations, but we were not permitted to play during the week as this would disturb workers,” he said.
In 2002, the mine decided to do away with the mine band and Amuli took over ownership.
Gramma Records encouraged him to keep the name Zvishavane Sounds for continuity and marketing purposes.
Things did not go well for the band and Amuli relocated to Harare where he joined Andy Brown’s band, The Storm, as a bassist.
Brown’s albums, Chiedza and Hondo Yeminda were recorded with Amuli on bass guitar.
“Most of my fans couldn’t recognise me anymore as I was now wearing dreadlocks after being told by mukoma Brown that wotoita zvatinoita kuno,” he said.
Amuli, a qualified electrician, left The Storm to work in South Africa and during the years he worked there, he assembled music equipment and composed the album Wamatuka.
When he came back home on vacation, he was approached by Gramma Records to record because of previous album sales which had soared during his absence.
The recording company enticed him with a free recording contract, bought him a commuter omnibus and paid veteran session instrumentalists like Donald Gogo, Spencer Khumulani, Rodrick Chemdhala, Gift Sixpence, Thomas Dacinto and Innocent Mujintu to help him record his album.
With that team, he managed to record Wamatuka which catapulted him back to stardom in 2006.
Among his notable albums are, Machena and Bhora Mberi.
Amuli is currently working on his latest album Masvingo to be launched in the capital on December 9 2016.
The album is currently being mixed and mastered by veteran sound engineer and producer Jabulani Ndhlovu.
Amuli set the record straight about the popular song ‘Chitototo’ which was a hit in the 1990s and attributed to him.
“The song was done by Trevor Madamombe in 1995 on the album Remekedza Upenyu, while Zvishavane Sounds was under Joseph Mutero and I did the bass guitar and backing vocals,” he said.
“Madamombe was given the song by a Shabanie Primary School headmaster and he is the same person who gave Joseph Mutero the song, ‘Mutongi Gava’.”
Amuli, however, did a rendition of the song, ‘Chitototo’ on his second album Munombozvigonasei.
Despite the challenges musicians are currently facing, Amuli has vowed never to leave music.
He has since set up a home studio in Gweru, Amuli Media, not only to fulfil his dream, but those of upcoming and aspiring musicians.