Had his father made good on his attempt to chop off his fingers, Kenyan music wouldn't have been graced by the magical guitar works of Musaimo. He had campaigned for the late John Michuki for the Kangema Parliamentary seat in the 1979 elections and was paid 5,000 shillings, quite a tidy sum at that time. This was the money he used to pay for his secondary education.
However, upon completing school, no job was forthcoming, and he had to eke out a living performing menial jobs, commonly known as "mjengo," at construction sites, often accompanying his father, who was a mason.
It was from his wages that he saved and bought his first guitar for 40 shillings. In the evenings, he sat under a tree to relax his muscles from the "mjengo" hustle and bustle, practicing his guitar. This became a habit that bore fruit as he perfected his skills and taught himself how to accompany himself on guitar as he sang. Equally interested in music, his exploits attracted a friend known as Mwalimu wa Gatanga, who also got bitten by the music bug. Together, they composed and recorded what was to be their maiden release, "Njungi ya Kiruka," a song based on ugly looks.
His work as a casual laborer at construction sites took him to Nairobi, and this worked wonders for his musical talent. He honed his guitar skills at St. Theresa’s School, where Arnold Grol polished his own playing. This saw Musaimo become one of the finest and most sought-after guitar talents in Nairobi, at a time when live music was the heart and soul of entertainment. He kept singing and practicing, and his musical interest and talent reached the ears of producer Waweru wa Maingi, who helped the budding talent record "My Dear Kwaheri." The producer’s touch made the song an instant hit that catapulted Musaimo into national fame.
This success exposed him to the industry’s big names like Joseph Kamaru, from whom he learned how to manage a band and navigate the intricate music industry, an industry brimming with potential but threatened by piracy. Musaimo kept up the tempo and rose through the ranks so fast that by the mid-1980s, his songs dominated Kikuyu music charts. His authoritative baritone roared across music-selling shops, and patrons in drinking joints couldn’t get enough of his songs.
It was during the peak success of his hit "My Dear Kwaheri" in the mid-1980s that Musaimo formed his own band, Mbiri Young Stars, alongside other musicians like Kimani Thomas and Joseph Wamumbe. He grew to become one of the country’s biggest names in music in his first decade, with hits like "Chai wa 14," which was recorded in 1980 but remained popular for more than two decades.
Guitarists have an edge over non-guitar-playing vocalists because they can involve the instrument at the composing stage, making it easier to create a melody, and this seems to have worked well in Musaimo’s favor.
Musaimo says that in most of his songs, he first creates the melody before coming up with the lyrics. He has so far recorded more than 300 songs. Despite the market having shifted from selling cassettes to an era where digital platforms have replaced traditional marketing methods, Musaimo has kept himself abreast of technological innovations and runs social media accounts on both Facebook and YouTube.
Musaimo, who was born Simon Kihara in Kangema, has continued releasing hits to date, extending his dominance of Kikuyu music into the present era. Having role models in Dr. Nico, the Congolese guitar supremo, and Mbaraka Mwinshehe, also known as "Soloist National," Musaimo values live instrumental recordings and cites the lack of that as the Achilles’ heel of many contemporary artists who prefer computer-programmed backups.
He has won several awards and performed across the country and abroad in Europe. He is the foremost guitar player among all Kikuyu musicians.
By Jerome Ogola
Your Home of African Tunes
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