- Nashil Pichen Kazembe was born in 1932 near the Congolese border, in Kaputa, Northern Province, Zambia.
- He had an affinity for music at an early age, and taught himself how to play banjos and later a guitar.
- In 1953, he went to work in the mines in South Africa, where he formed his first band, the Bantu Negroes
- The band was eventually disbanded after Kazembe returned to Zambia the following year.
- Kazembe also spent time in Congo, Uganda, and Kenya, the latter being where he settled in 1958.
- His musical activities in Nairobi included numerous collaborations with fellow Zambian emigre Peter Totsi.
- Nashil Pichen ended his career as a solo artist after moving from Kenya to Lusaka.
- His big hit “A-Phiri Anabwera” was the first single to sell more than 50,000 units in Zambia.
- He returned to Zambia in the 1980s and recorded further albums there, and enjoyed popularity in Zimbabwe as well.
- Kazembe died in 1991. Although he had a successful music career, at the time of his death he was a very poor man; no family members or offspring are known.
Previous Post10 things you didn’t know about OC Osilliation
Next Post10 things you didn’t know about Moonga K