“Jambo Bwana” legend Teddy Kalanda dies at 72.

Teddy Kalanda, a member of the famous Mushroom band, has passed away. 

Kalanda passed away on Tuesday, 17, 2024. 

The Mushrooms is a musical band from Kenya, known for playing Chakacha, Benga, and reggae. They are most famous for their 1982 Swahili song “Jambo Bwana.”

“Jambo Bwana” (Hakuna Matata), recorded in 1980, is the band’s biggest hit, earning them gold, silver, and platinum status for sales exceeding 200,000. 

The song entered the charts in 7 different versions, including one by the disco group Boney M. 

The band consists of the late Teddy Kalanda, Henry Ndenge Saha, and Ben Mutwiwa. They mainly do covers of previously written hit songs.

The band celebrated 50 years together in December 2022.

They moved to Nairobi from Mombasa in 1987 and started their ‘Nairobi’ career by singing at the famous Carnivore Simba Saloon. 

For their 50th birthday, the band reunited with fans at the Carnivore for a historic performance. 

The band cut a huge cake as fans sang along, and the celebration was kicked off by dipakonnection. 

The dress code was the best of the 70s. John Katana, the band’s leader, also spoke lovingly about their music history.

“Them Mushrooms’ journey started in 1972, in Kaloleni (Kilifi County), when five brothers…Teddy Kalanda Harrison, Billy Sarro Harrison, George Zirro Harrison, John Katana Harrison, and Dennis Kalume Harrison initially founded the group. Our own version of ‘The Jackson 5’…”

He explained why they picked that name saying;

“Why ‘Them Mushrooms’ & not ‘The Harrisons’ maybe? Them Mushrooms sounded unique. Other contemporary bands at the time had names like The Spartans or The Vikings…”

For more news updates, tune in to NRG Radio or download the NRG Play App on your phone