{"title":"The Mighty Cavaliers","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"mapendo","title":"Mapendo","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eMapendo\u003c\/i\u003e album of the Mighty Cavaliers is shrouded in\nmystery. If you look at the original cover of this very rare Kenyan funk-infused album\nall you will find are the names of the engineer and the producer, as EMI Kenya\nomitted the names of the musicians and the songwriters. Digging deeper a rather\nsinister story of deceit develops whereby \u003ci\u003eMapendo\u003c\/i\u003e becomes symbolic for all what\nwas wrong about the Kenyan record industry in the 1970s, and the music industry in\nAfrica as a whole. As this maltreatment of artists proved endemic throughout the\ncon]nent, although little talked about.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the three surviving members of the Mighty Cavaliers, bass player Bonnie\nWanda - who started his career in 1971 with Gloria Africana - vividly remembers\nparticipating in the recording of the two albums the band made in 1976 and 1977 -\nFisherman and Mapendo - and how they, especially on the last album, got short-\nchanged by shrewd record label executives. In the 1960s it was mostly Indian and\nEuropean record bosses that called the shots and usually gave musicians the chance\nof a one-off payment for their session time and recorded songs or wait for - hopefully\n- a generous royalty check. In most cases records didn’t sell more than a thousand\ncopies with an occasional hit selling in the tens of thousands, so musicians were\nreluctant to register themselves with the Music Copyright Society of Kenya. Although\nwithout doing so one couldn’t receive royalties.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor two years the Mighty Cavaliers performed five nights a week at the Starlight Club\nfor five hour sets.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe re-release of \u003ci\u003eMapendo\u003c\/i\u003e, the first of the German Want Some Records label, is\nanother exciting puzzle piece in the tapestry of groovy Kenyan music. It proves that\nthere are s]ll great gems out there to be re-discovered for audiences worldwide.\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Want Some Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50394065994059,"sku":"2051978","price":44.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/WSR001_483bb14d_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726431827"},{"product_id":"fisherman-2","title":"Fisherman","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe journey continues. Now, the second Want Some Record release will be the first album of The Mighty Cavaliers from Kenya. It's a bit unusual that it is not coming in the original order of release, but that's how I got my hands on both records.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnyway, this record is another masterpiece of Kenyan funk-influenced music at its best. The songwriting is not from just one musician; every musician contributed songs and music, which makes it very special. You can hear the different musical influences, and every track has its own personality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFisherman\u003c\/i\u003e was released twice before, in 1976 and 1978. Now, it’s time to spread this wonderful music to the world again in a very limited edition of only 500 pieces, with a brand new cover design.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Want Some Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50531292709195,"sku":"2212348","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/CS1033291-01A-BIG_868bafc3_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728103029"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/the-mighty-cavaliers.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}