Zimbabwean music legend Oliver Mtukudzi would have turned 69 on Wednesday and Gallo Records is celebrating his posthumous birthday in a very big way.
Is Oliver Mtukudzi music available on YouTube?
If he was still with us, it is without a shred of a doubt that he would have serenaded the world with his eclectic Africanist melodies.
Who can ever forget about the atmospheric Neria, a soundtrack he wrote and performed in 1993 about a rural Zimbabwean woman who lost her husband and her home to her in-laws?
With 68 studio albums to his name, including smash hits like Ndipeiwo Zano (1978), Street Kid (1995) and Dzoka Uyamwe (1999), it’s no wonder Mtukudzi is one of the most sought after musicians on streaming platforms. But, before this day, it was an agonising experience searching for his catalogue on YouTube.
To commemorate his posthumous birthday, and further etch his immortal memory, Gallo will be launching Mtukudzi’s official YouTube channel with a slew of new content on the way.
This virtual library will, according to South Africa’s oldest record label, house Mtukudzi’s entire music catalogue.
The channel will launch with the video of his popular hit, Todi. It will also be accompanied by a Gallo-curated playlist titled Salute Oliver Mtukudzi, celebrating his definitive songs, messages of hope, love, freedom and guidance.
Confirmed: New Mtukudzi album on the way
This is not the only great news for fans, according to label marketing manager Caroline Morabe.
“As a company we’re honoured to be working on the legacy of Oliver Mtukudzi’s music. We are excited to for the new upcoming music project to be released in a few weeks. At Gallo, we believe that it is important to keep his legacy alive,” Morale explained.
At this time, there is no definitive release date announced on the Mtukudzi album. We will dig deep into our source book to find out more about this posthumous project.
For now, fans can celebrate Mtukudzi’s 69th birthday by visiting his YouTube channel and streaming his curated playlist.
