Hallelujah Chicken Run Band

An influential Zimbabwean group from the mid-'70s, Hallelujah Chicken Run Band were early innovators of the regional style that later came to be known as chimurenga. Initially formed to entertain workers in a small mining town, HCRB were notable for eschewing the rhumba and Afro-rock styles popular in the then British-ruled capital and infusing their music with political messages and traditional elements from the Indigenous Shona culture. A springboard for future star Thomas Mapfumo, the group became known for songs like "Ngoma Yarira" and "Murembo" and remained a vibrant and ...