MATAYA “CLIFFORD”

Chewaluza

A DAUGHTER’S HOMAGE TO THE LATE GREAT MUSICIAN MATAYA “CLIFFORD” CHEWALUZA

Iwould describe my father as an enigmatic, original, inspiring musician’s musician, who was creative, kind, generous and happy. A positive soul, with a great drive in his art and business, living in the moment, full of love and charisma.

A Father’s Love

As a father my pop’s was always there for me and believed in me and all my abilities. He was my No.1 support in all my music, and he always encouraged me to reach beyond the stars. He always said I had it all, I just need to get out there and show the world who I am! He supported everything I did (non-music related too) and was always super proud of me in all my life endeavours, including my academic achievements. He always spoke so highly of me to all his friends and peers, a true, genuine, loving father with a huge heart. A great listening ear, whenever I needed to talk to him about any problems too. A real open minded soul, there for everyone, who loved people.

And as a musician he was always so driven and hard working at his art and craft, producing and writing a large body of musical works over his lifetime, spanning mixed genres, from his African inspired songs speaking his home dialect of ’Shona’, to Afro Rock, Dance & Pop tracks, to beautiful Soulful Ballads. He had his own sound, an eclectic mix of all styles mixed with his infusive energy & beautiful vocals & guitar playing. So, being exposed to all my dad’s songs, since I was born, being the first songs I sang, I was highly inspired & influenced by him since birth! He is my No.1 inspiration & favourite artist in the world. And I am his Star that fell from Heaven ~ Forever.

Family

Mataya was in love with his first born baby from the moment he held her in his arms. He was inspired immediately to compose the song “Star fell from heaven” as a direct result. This also was followed by his moving “Little Girl “ song. He introduced music and dance straight away to his baby girl, singing and playing guitar to her. A very creative, sensitive father, who loved his children.

Our family was always close, despite the divorce, mum, Monique and dad were always friends supporting each other and their creative efforts to the end, particularly encouraging their children to become professional artists, and always showed us so much love, support and encouragement.

Having a black father from Zimbabwe and a white mother from Vienna never caused a problem. In a way I grew up colour blind. What really mattered was, and still is, the love that bonds humanity. That’s the lesson both parents taught their children. I feel that my musical message is to appeal universally, to all humanity. The only force and energy that matters is Love, so any way you express that is what I resonate with. I’m here to do the Light Work.

The Uniqueness of Maya’s Father

Musicians who worked with my father always commented on his ground breaking originality, introducing Afro Rock to the UK music scene. Many of his bands musicians and inspired peers later became famous in their own right, like Cat Stevens, Adam Ant who did Artwork on one of Mataya’s single releases, and the drummer Paul Ferguson, keyboardist, Jaz Coleman & bassist Youth, who went on to form the band Killing Joke after playing in Mataya’s band. Also rock bands like Brass Alley covered and released some of his songs. He also released a single on Eddie Grant’s label with backing vocals by fellow peers PP Arnold, and his best friend Jimmy Thomas, who worked together on many songs. They all called him a musician’s musician, inspiring new grooves, and he was an exciting, electric performer with a magnetic energy.

Musicians like Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, Allen Clark of the Hollies, Phil Collins and Cat Stevens surrounded him and worked on co-productions. Peter Green left Fleetwood Mac and recorded with him a strange single (“Heavy Heart”) that made it to the

“Top of the Pops”, BBC. Green gave up music afterwards and donated his millions to the Jewish Fund and preferred to live in poverty. Clark returned to the Hollies and changed their style completely. Cat Steven left his record company, who marketed him as a Teenager Idol, and produced with Mataya several demo tapes, which became so successful, that he began his second “serious” career. The result is well known to all.

Culture Shock whilst Making an Impact

Mataya was struck by the difference between the London he had heard or read about from magazines in Salisbury in the then Rhodesia and Lusaka Zambia, and the marked difference with the London he encountered, which was still very upper lip, foggy, and cold. Music and guitar playing played a central role for him in establishing friendships and a bed for the night in the early days. But my father wanted to be recognised as an International Artist.

He was making a great impact in live performances, moving crowds to dance to his original blend of African rhythms mixed with existing Soul, Funk and Rock. People loved his magnetic live vibe. The industry took time to slowly recognise and accept his style. After playing in the Upstairs Room in Ronnie Scots, Ronny Scott immediately managed him, because of his originality and as a result his first record deal with RCA came about.

In the meantime Mataya Clifford toured with his own band all over the U.K. and also performed as a solo artist with Nice (later known as Emerson Lake and Palmer). Later he performed with Traffic, which earned him an Artist / Producer contract with the newly established Island Records. However, he moved on .....

Richie Heavan jammed with Mataya in London and was thrilled. This was the reason why David Bromberg in 1971 invited him to New York for a concert that was followed by a tour of University concerts, amongst others with Jerry Garcia of the “Greatful Dead”. He also got to visit & record in Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Land Studio in Greenwich Village - NY. The revolutionary scene in the USA inspired Mataya so much that he returned to London to dedicate himself to the thankless task of helping the breakthrough of the independent music of the new African generation, which he partly succeeded in.

What Shaped Mataya and his Music?

Rhodesia was one of the most white supremacist places in the world. Those material conditions shaped his cultural politics. He and his friends hated that unjust environment and it drew him to rebel music. He left the then Rhodesia in order to escape that unjust environment. Music was his way out to an imaginary promised land.

“Star Fell From Heaven” was a song inspired and written for me, when I was born. It expressed his joy and feelings about his first born and became a hit at the time. It was the title of his second album that was released on Virgin records. He truly was a messenger and expressed experiences and his feelings in his lyrics and music compositions.