Jambo,
Jambo Bwana,
Habari gani?
Mzuri sana.
These iconic lyrics have a unique place in Kenyans’ hearts. “Jambo Bwana” was released in 1980 and quickly became the country’s tourism anthem. The tale of the ideation and composition of this famous song is one of its own. We’re here instead to celebrate the talented man who wrote it. With the stroke of his pen, Teddy Kalanda Harrison catapulted his band to stardom and introduced Chakacha to the world.
He was born Shadrack Joel Mwaringa Harrison (Teddy) on 25th July 1951 in Mombasa County. Teddy delved into music at every stage of his school career. When at preparatory school, he joined the band and played the cymbals, in primary school he learned how to play the guitar and in high school, he and some friends formed their own music group, Air Bonanza. While doing his A-levels at Allidina Visram High School, he and his siblings decided to form a family band, which they called Avenida Success. They entertained guests at wedding parties and other social functions. Even when he left for college in Uganda, Teddy continued to play music, with the Makerere University Band. So, you see, he was always a performer.
In 1972, the Harrison siblings regrouped and rebranded into Them Mushrooms. As the oldest, Teddy was responsible for putting together and naming what is now known to be one of Kenya’s most successful bands. At first, they wanted to call themselves ‘The Mushrooms’, after the magical fungi that grow all over East Africa. However, Teddy’s creative antennas felt the name wasn’t catchy enough. They would simply be falling in line with every other band of the time which had ‘The’ as part of their name; the Harrisons had to stand out. He proposed that they use ‘Them’ instead and in an instant, Them Mushrooms was formed.
Three decades later, Teddy had done it all. He and his band had achieved global success. They had toured numerous countries across several continents and recorded over 10 albums and singles. In 2001, at the age of 50, Teddy retired from Them Mushrooms. He moved to Greece in 2004 and found employment in the kitchen and cleaning departments of various restaurants. Teddy’s passion for music run so deep, that even after retirement, he still longed to play. He got part-time gigs performing with the Jambo Kenya Cultural Troupe, as well as the Kalimba Band. Unfortunately, his time in Greece wasn’t all he had hoped it would be. He opted to move back to Kenya after only three years due to the harsh discrimination he faced. Back home, he was offered a job as the general manager of the Florida Night Club in Mombasa. He resigned in 2009 after losing his eyesight in a tragic accident, but his resilience kept him going. He enrolled in a six-month specialized training course at Kenya Society for the Blind and was soon back to performing on stage.
If anything, Teddy Kalanda Harrison is a man of wisdom. His extensive experiences, both in the music industry and life, have equipped him with invaluable skills and knowledge. Today, he is a fixture in the Kenyan music industry, composing his own music and mentoring upcoming artists. He also has his own record company, Big Matata Productions, which raises money for Oxfam America, a charitable organisation dedicated to fighting poverty and injustice around the world. Teddy has re-joined Them Mushrooms and is still making music and performing to this day. We can’t wait to see what’s next in store for him!
Listen to “Home is Always Best”, the cautionary song Teddy composed about his time in Greece.