When I first found out I was going to get to go to Africa, I knew it would be the trip of a lifetime and now, looking back, it was more than I ever dreamed it would be.
My band The Hearthrobs, Jean Robbins (our escort) and I went to Africa on behalf of a cultural exchange program sponsored by the United State Information Agency called Art America. Not only did we get to perform in nine African countries, we got to participate in workshops with local musicians, meet and perform for the US Ambassador and Cabinet Members in every country and managed to squeeze in some sightseeing and shopping!
We had played the Grand Ole Opry prior to our departure for Africa and I had worn a brand new pair of custom made boots (had my name on 'em!) I like them so much that I decided to wear them on the plane. Lesson #1, do not ever fly in a pair of brand new boots -- it took 3 days and 5 guys to get 'em off me! Finally, thanks to Don London's (my guitarist) tapping method, they came off. It was a while before I put em back on, I'll guarantee ya!
Our first location was Nairobi, Kenya (via a day lay
over in Frankfurt). It was very hot and dry on the day we arrived and
mothers were stripping in the park, protesting their sons being held as
political prisoners; our US Embassy hosts
assured us that things were not
usually this bizarre.
Our very first African gig was at Ambassador and Mrs. Smith-Hempstone's residence for invited guests. Little did I know that the pace was being set that night for the whole rest of our tour, that is, audiences that started out being very quiet and reserved and wound up laughing and dancing in the aisles! That's the way I like it, the rowdier, the better!
Our first workshop in Nairobi had sort of a lack of communication and only one guy showed up, a banjo player from Detroit - we all howled about that for days! It was also in Kenya that our sound engineer, Rick Carpenter, acquired a new nick-name, Tumbo Kubwa, meaning "Big Belly" in Swahili. We all got a kick outa that and still call him that.
Our second workshop more than made up for the first one. Joy and Suzanne's band, Musikly Speaking, invited us to Suzanne's folks home and cooked up some delicious Kenyan dishes for us. Those of us who weren't too full to move, jammed later on. We even got to play a honky tonk called Gringo's but in the Kenyan countryside. It was a real magical place, with a big buffet spread, dance floor and an outdoor amphitheatre. Where we played, there were colorful lanterns hanging everywhere and a winding lit path down to a river! It was strange looking around and not being able to tell if I was in Nairobi, Kenya or Austin, Texas - an occasional "Yee Haw" made it even more fun!
Our second stop was Kigali, Rwanda. Over half of our equipment couldn't fit on the plane and we didn't see it again until our fourth country! We had anticipated that we might have that problem since we were traveling with over 2 tons of gear, including a full PA, not to mention clothes for 6 weeks!
Rwanda
Rwanda is called "Land of a Thousand Hills." It was lush and green, even though they were suffering from the drought. We met a very talented young musician named Ignace, who could play almost every musical instrument but could not afford to buy any - it really put things in perspective for me. How lucky we are, that we can at least buy our tools for our craft so we can go to work. The Chorale Di Kigali sang 'I Saw The Light' with us at one of our public performances and that was a real treat for me.
On our morning off, one of our sightseeing trips was cancelled because mines had been set in the road we were to have taken the day before. There is a terrible civil war going on between the Hutus and Tutsis and many people are suffering.
Burundi was our third stop on the tour. Flying in a small plane from Kigali to Bujumbura allowed us to see the gorgeous rolling countryside below. It also allowed our steel player, Jay Andrews, to almost lose his lunch in mid-air. The real shocker was when Jay went up front to check on the pilot and found him reading a book!
It thrilled me no end to find out that the US Ambassador to Burundi was a woman! Right-on sister Ambassador Cynthia Perry! We even got the Prime Minister up two-stepping on the tennis court at our first gig there.
We had all been pretty careful about not drinking the tap water, no using ice in our drinks and not eating raw or unpeeled fruits or vegetables, etc. But in Zambia it all caught up with us (some of us still think it was the malaria pills). Everyone in the band got diarrhea! There's nothing quite like being on stage, going for the top of your range high note and....wondering! Worrying is more like it! Oh well, we all pulled through without missing a meal!
The University of Zambia Dance Ensemble's performance blew us away at our
friends' home one evening. It was also in Zambia that we were made very
much aware of the tragedy of AIDS. Before we went on stage at our first
public concert in Lusaka, we were told that between one-third to one-half of our
audience had AIDS. It was so heartbreaking and made it very difficult to
sing 'Don't Cry For Me When I'm Gone.' Proceeds from the two public
concerts went to AIDS-orphaned children.
There was a lot of 'change' in the air in Zambia. Our second show's location was changed because students at Evelyn Home College had stolen a school bus and parked it in the middle of the streets blocking traffic. The people were kind and gentle and our audiences welcomed us with opened arms. They were enthusiastic. Once again - we got 'em up in the aisles!
When we got to Harare, Zimbabwe, Larry Gadler, our bass player, discovered that
someone had reached in his duffle bag and stolen his underwear! To add
insult to injury, they got away with his brand new zebra-striped briefs (that he
had bought especially for this trip)..... and they were clean too!
Zimbabwe was the most British-influenced of all the countries and Harare was more Western feeling than the other cities. Our first gig was at Ambassador Lanpher's residence. His two little boys were dressed as little cowpokes and entertained the folks right along with us by bouncing up and down on a rocking horse and driving a miniature tractor around the tennis court! Holy terrors but they sure were cute!!
Zimbabwe Workshop was one of the most inspiring. We got to hear the College of Ethno Musicology's Marimba Band & Mbiri (thumb piano) Players. I flipped my lid over that; in fact, my next musical challenge is playing the marimba!
One of our days off we got to go to Victoria Falls. Truly one of the seven wonders of the world! It was so awesome that Jean and I had to stop and cry as we approached it. Breathtakingly powerful!
We flew up to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe for one show and found one of our rowdiest audiences ever! I even ran into a lady that I had met several years before at Fan Fair in Nashville. Lotsa big country music fans in Bulawayo - small, small world!
The next day we flew back to Harare and had two great shows with packed houses. Got to do some shopping too, which didn't hurt my feelings a bit!
Maputo, Mozambique had the look of a once-thriving city that had been hard-hit a
few years back. It was the most poverty stricken of all the countries we
visited. We were met at the airport by the media and since it is a
Portugese speaking country they had an interpreter there for us. Bill not
only kept us out of trouble but also was the only driver I could ride with on
the whole tour without having to close my eyes! (The roads in Africa were
full of potholes and since most of the driving was on the left-except for two
countries- I was freaked!)
Our hotel was very nice and right across the road from the Indian Ocean. We each had our own individual hut and monkeys ran freely over the hotel grounds. One morning I caught a bunch of them romping around a huge tree covered with vines. They would run along the top of this wall, leap to a vine and swing down, doing a somersault just before hitting the ground. It was here that we also ate some of the biggest, juiciest prawns we ever saw. We also got to meet some extremely talented painters and artists. The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world. There's something magical about it.
Swazi drum
To
Becky's left is Ambassador Brooks Anne Robinson
We were met at the airport in Manzini, Swaziland by the media. By now, my hair had gone totally flat from the humidity and the guys were looking scruffier than usual! But we were met with super enthusiasm.
The day before we arrived in Swaziland, we had heard that the King of Swaziland (who is 24 years old, has 5 wives - and two "in-waiting" - loves rock 'n roll and stays up all night) had requested a private performance at his palace! We were all excited about it but at the last minute, it couldn't be worked out with the palace schedule. That woulda been a real trip! The King did receive a video tape of our concert. Maybe he's a country music fan now!
At our Swazi workshop, we heard some great country music. One gal, Lorraine, sounded like she coulda been straight out of Nashville!
When we got off the plane in Maseru, Lesotho, the air was dry and with the
mountains in the horizon it felt like Colorado or New Mexico. Lotsa
cowboys there too but instead of Stetsons they were wearing triangular shaped
straw hats! Our hotel there was really nice, as were all the hotels we
stayed in. I was feelin' my oats the night we got in and got a little
naughty and had a coke with ICE! Oh no! Well, the next day, I woke
up sick as a dog and we had a performance at Ambassador and Mrs. Spearmans
home! I got through the show - but lost it all when the Ambassador was
taking me around, introducing me to his guests and someone walked up with a
plate of half-eaten hors d'oeuvres.
Sorry about those shoes Ambassador! And feeding that giant plant on your porch! He was so gracious though, that I wasn't too embarrassed to go back out and "shake and howdy' 'til the guests left! That's the Beckaroo way, I reckon!
The National Teachers Training College sang so beautifully for us at the workshop that it made us cry. There were no instruments in the room, so when it was our turn to play I played a tiny Casio keyboard and my drummer, Maxwell Schauf, beat on a chair! It was certainly impromptu - but big fun!
Our last trip was the beautiful island of Mauritius in the middle of the Indian
Ocean, halfway between Africa and India. It's turquoise and deep blue
waters and volcanic mountains were breathtaking! It reminded me of Hawaii
- but almost totally commercially untouched!
Our US Ambassador there is a gorgeous Texas woman named Penn Korth. She threw a Texas wing-ding for us and everybody kicked up their heels!
The workshop was great. We heard a Mauritian banjo player, fiddler, drummer and guitarists. We also got to hear some Sega music at the hotel! It's so rhythmic and colorful. Mauritius
Our last show of the tour was standing room only and the response was tremendous!
To sum things up - I went over to Africa like a big sponge wanting to see as much as I could, do as much as I could, learn and 'soak-up' as much as I could. I also wanted to give as much as I could, teach someone something and help someone follow their dream. I learned that people can be happy just making music. I learned you can add a little joy to someone's life by sharing your music. I want to carry these memories with me as long as I live. I want to always treasure being able to do what I want to do and living in a free country, I want to remember all these wonderful people I met and see their faces when I close my eyes.
I want to go back there some day and help my friends.
