Solomon Skuza (1954–1995), also known as Jah Solo was a Zimbabwean musician, one of the most popular to come out of Plumtree. In addition to his native

Kalanga Kalanga may refer to: * BaKalanga people * Kalanga language Kalanga, or ''TjiKalanga'' (in Zimbabwe), is a Bantu language spoken by the Kalanga people in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It has an extensive phoneme inventory, which includes palatalised ...

, he wrote lyrics in

Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana Languages *Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele *Northern Ndebele language Northern N ...

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...

and English as well. Other popular Kalanga musicians include Nduna Malaba ( Ndux Malax), Ndolwane Super Sounds, Mokis Connection and Solomon's brother Chase Skuza.

Biography

Born in 1954 in

Plumtree A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

, Solomon Skuza went into exile in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

during the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three forc ...

to join the

Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), a Marxist–Leninist political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rho ...

(ZIPRA). Skuza played in the ZIPRA band and entertained guerrillas at ZIPRA camps. He later became the band leader and an official composer for the ZIPRA Entertainment Corps. In 1980, Skuza returned to Zimbabwe and produced a hit single, '' Banolila'', which sold over 75,000 copies. His 1990 album, '' Love and Scandals'', was a commercial and critical success, due to its political content regarding the

Willowgate Scandal Willowgate was a 1988–89 political scandal in Zimbabwe involving the illegal resale of automobile purchases by various government officials, uncovered by '' The Bulawayo Chronicle''. The ensuing investigation resulted in the resignations of five ...

of the time. In one song, he asks, "how can someone buy a car and sell it again?" In another, he sings of his love leaving him for "a guy who owns a Cressida", referring to the

Toyota Cressida The is a compact, later mid-size sedan manufactured and marketed in Japan by Toyota between 1968 and 2004. Prior to 1972, the model was marketed as the Toyota Corona Mark II. In some export markets, Toyota marketed the vehicle as the Toyota Cres ...

s assembled at Willowvale. It was this album that earned him the nickname "Jah Solo." Solomon Skuza was backed by bands such as Fallen Heroes. He named the band "Fallen Heroes" to honor those who had died during the Liberation Struggle. He released ''Zihlangene Vol. 1'' and'' Zihlangene Vol. 2'' compilation albums which cover his earlier and later hits, respectively. Solomon sang in his native

and both

, English and

. In 1990 he did a soundtrack, '' Patimile'', for the Zimbabwean film ''Jit''.

Sickness and Death

Solomon was shot during 5v 6-y the war that is why he could not dance during his performances. The actual cause of Solomon Skuza's death remains unknown. During his sickness period, Solomon was taken to some traditional healers (known as 'inyanga') but, they could not ascertain his cause of sickness. He also went to doctors who, like the nyangas, could not see anything. Consequently, Solomon died in 1995....

Discography

Albums

* ''Kudzanayi'' * ''Love and Scandals'' * ''Zihlangene Vol. 1'' * ''Zihlangene Vol. 2'' * ''Zlhlangene Vol. 3''

References

External links

"Solomon Skuza"
Music of Zimbabwe