Ringo to star in Botswanacraft spring shows

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday August 26, 2010 00:00

 

Local artists who will perform at the same concert include Botswana Jazz Quartet and Eugene Jackson.  The Gaborone Sun, Duma fm, Botswanacraft Marketing and The Voice are sponsoring the show.

Oliver Groth of the Botswanacraft Marketing revealed this will be the opening concert of their spring shows.  He said last year they started their spring concerts' line-up with a show by Zimbabwean guru Oliver Mtudukzi.  He said the P200 tickets for the show will be sold in advance.  His word of caution is that the showgoers should get their tickets early because the concert is going to be sold out.  He considers Ringo to be a highly regarded artist.

Ringo addressed a press conference on Tuesday, which was mainly attended by journalists and local musicians who are going to share the stage with him.  Ringo is such an inspiration that during the press conference, local musicians wanted to know how he was doing things.

Ringo spoke about his experiences as an artist, as he fielded questions from journalists and fellow musicians. Ringo said he never went to a music school, but learnt everything through experience.

He spoke about being a professional musician and the challenges that one would be faced with. 

Just like everyone, Ringo also had his ups and downs in music.  At some stage, he thought about quitting the industry after some of his albums had failed.  But he kept on.

He reflected that there was a time when he was managed by people who tended to overprice him.  'I was managed by people who were putting me beyond the market,' he said.  Ringo revealed that currently he is managed by his brother, who is doing a fine job.

Ringo described himself as an artist who is competing with himself.  'I learn from the next person, then I apply what I have learnt,' he said, when responding to one of the numerous questions. 

'I love music.  I love to be on the stage,' he said, when he was asked what kept him going.  He also wants to keep his audience happy because his music is meant to make people happy.  It is also about having fun.

Everytime when he sees a sad soul amongst members of the audience, he would sing with that person until s/he becomes happy. 

After the press conference, the easy-going artist mingled freely with everyone and posed for photos grinning in that trademark smile. 

Jackson and his crew performed for the gathering.  Ringo seemed to have been impressed by their performance as he applauded the group.

Speaking in an interview, Ringo said he is looking forward to the show.  His last show in the country was at the Lions' Park in 2007.  He said his followers should brace themselves for a great one.

Ringo said he will be dishing out music from his 13 albums. 

'I will be playing music from first album to the latest.'

Ringo said he is still doing well as a musician.  'My star has not faded.'  Some of Ringo's popular hits include Sondela and Jerusalema.

According to his biography, Ringo rose to fame when his band, Peto, won the Shell Road to Fame contest in 1986.  This is the same competition that produced the likes of gospel singer Rebecca Malope.  Since his debut solo album, Vukani, Ringo has been unstoppable moving up the music ladder.

He has subsequently scooped multiple awards for his albums, the South African Music Awards (SAMA) and the Kora All African Music Awards.

Ringo collaborated with the international acclaimed reggae group, UB 40 as part of the United Nations (UN) global AIDS awareness programme.

In May 2003, Ringo Live was recorded at the State Theatre in Pretoria and released in both DVD and CD format. The Ringo Live CD has sold in excess of 150, 000 units.  The DVD was in top five national charts and top 10 international charts due to its excellent production quality.

Due to popular demand of the Ringo Live DVD and CD, he recorded a sequel, which is the Ringo Live 2 recorded in the same format of DVD and CD in September 2006.  In it, he features the late Mama Busi Mhlongo, pop star Thembisile Nkata, rap giant Hip-hop Pantsula and internationally acclaimed Xhosa spiritual and traditional artist, Ncumisa Bhonga.

In 2004, Ringo released an album titled Baleka, which has sold over 75,000 units and continues to sell.

Love Songs, a compilation, was released in 2006 and sold over 25,000 copies within the first month of release. 

He has also produced the world-renowned late jazz singer Miriam 'Mama Afrika' Makeba.  Makeba's CD was nominated and received a number of local and international awards.  His energetic live shows have also earned Ringo much acclaim.