washerman's dog: Smokey Haangala

Monday, February 27, 2012

Smokin' on the Zambezi: Edwin "Smokey" Haangala

Tonight’s featured artist achieved greatness as a musician in Zambia in the 1970s and 1980s. But you could also mount the argument that with a name like Smokey, he was born to greatness. Born Edwin Haakulipa Haangala, in 1950 in what appears to be a fairly well off family, he did the right thing by his parents. He completed high school and did well enough to enter university where he studied for a career in Public Administration and English. During these years he kept his love of the electric guitar and music under control. But things got worse as the years passed by. That damned guitar just wouldn’t stop tempting him.

"If anything my greatest blow was when I could not sit for my final examinations at the university and knowing fully well that I had no one to blame, let alone myself. I was unreasonable to think that I could be a musician and full-time student and still be successful both ways," he half heartedly lamented in the mid 1970s when he was enjoying some considerable success in Zambia for his sweet vocals and accordion infused kalindula music. And even though people danced to his records and he got radio airplay he had to make a living which he did by working for a while in the Civil Service and as a journalist.

His songs, sung in local Zambian languages like Tonga, spoke out against social evils like witchcraft and promoted family and other positive values. Though he died at the age of 38 in 1988 his niece, Lulu Haangala and brother, Swithin, continue to keep the family name alive in the public arena. Swithin is the owner of Zambezi FM radio station and Lulu something of a local celebrity.

This collection of songs comes from the fantastic Zambia National Broadcasting Company (ZNBC) Zambian Legends Series. Smokey’s voice is mellifluous and his guitar picking (both electric and acoustic) energetic but not flashy. What I particularly appreciate is the wonderful blending in of the accordion and electric organ and even what sounds like a harmonium in some cuts. And let us not overlook his whistling too! Another excellent slice of Zambia which deserves a much wider audience.