Joseph Kamaru
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| Born | 1939 |
| Died | 3 October 2018 (aged 79)[1]
Nairobi, Kenya
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| Occupation(s) | Musician, political activist |
| Years active | 1965–2018 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Benga, gospel |
| Instruments | Vocal, guitar |
| Formerly of | The Kamaru Supersounds |
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Musical artist
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Joseph Kamaru (1939 – 3 October 2018) was a Kenyan Benga and gospel musician and political activist. He was an icon, a hero, and a leading Kikuyu musician,[2] who has sold about half a million records.[3] He was notable for his politically motivated songs either praising or criticising the government. His music covered the teachings of life, promiscuity and sexual harassment in Kenyan politics and social culture.[4]
He was known for his friendship with President Jomo Kenyatta, but after writing a song condemning the murder of JM Kariuki, they ceased to be close. He also wrote songs praising President Daniel arap Moi.
Kamaru was from Kangema, Muranga District.[5] In 1957 he moved to Nairobi where he got a cleaning job.[5] His first formal job was working as a house-help and a nanny, earning enough money to purchase his first guitar.[6] He started pursuing music in 1965.[5]
Kamaru made his first breakthrough in 1967 with Celina.[2] The height of his musical career was between 1975 and 1985 due to the release of adults-only cassettes, all dealing with Kikuyu folk songs.[6] In the late 1980s he was the first Kenyan artist to play at the Carnivore Restaurant, then only hosting foreign artists.[5] According to Martin Dunford, the owner of the restaurant, Kamaru's vibrant performance opened doors for other Kenyan artists to perform at the venue.[5]
Many of Kamaru's songs were political, either praising or criticising the government.[7] Initially he had a good relationship with president Jomo Kenyatta,[6] but after Kamaru wrote a song in 1975 condemning the murder of Josiah Mwangi Kariuki he fell out with him.[8] After Kenyatta's death, the succeeding president, Daniel arap Moi, was close to the artist.[9] In 1980, Kamaru toured Japan as a part of President Moi's entourage.[9] After the visit he composed Safari ya Japan praising the president.[9] Moi grew displeased with Kamaru's support for multiparty democracy in the late 1980s.[5]
Kamaru received significant support from Voice of Kenya radio presenter Job Isaac Mwamto, who embraced the rise of Kenyan music, by presenting Kamaru's music to his radio stations.[4] He was often called "Kenya's Jim Reeves".[4] He recorded nearly 2,000 songs addressing morality and offering life teachings.[10] The songs launched his status as a Kikuyu music legend and impacted East Africans’ music scene with classic hits such as "Gathoni" and "Charia Ungi".[10] His popular songs include "muhiki wa mikosi" and "muti uyu mukuona" among others.[4]
In the 1990s, Kamaru announced that he had been "born again" and would no longer perform the secular music on which he had built his career.[6] In 1993, he turned to gospel music and disbanded his previous group, the Kamaru Supersounds.[11] The change saw a plunge in his record sales.[5] Kamaru was once the chairman of the Kenya Association of Phonographic Industries (KAPI), and owned a church ministry in Nairobi.[12] He also ran two record stores in Nairobi.[13] Kamaru expressed interest in building a Kikuyu cultural home on one of his many farms in Murang’a to safeguard and protect the Kikuyu culture, though this was not accomplished as he died in October 2018.[14]
In April 2018, after a circulating death hoax, Kamaru confirmed his good health in an interview with the Daily Nation.[14] In the interview, Kamaru said "God could not take me until I oversaw changes in the music industry and mentor upcoming musicians to get the best songs for their audiences and in return get a better pay".[14]
Kamaru died on 3 October 2018 at the age of 79 at a hospital in Nairobi from complications of Parkinson's disease.[15] He was survived by 2 siblings, 1 daughter and 3 sons.[14] His grandson, also named Joseph Kamaru, is an ambient musician and sound artist who goes by the artistic name KMRU and is based in Berlin.[16]
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