was nameless. Seeing that the band was foursome, he just called them the Four Brothers and the name stuck. Before being spotted these guys were playing in the nightclub circuits, entertaining in Hotels to increase beer sales. Marshal Munhumwe an uncle of the legendary, Thomas Mapfumo was the lynchpin of the band. He composed, sung and also played drums.The Four Brothers played a traditional beat of the Shona people which is largely a fusion of mbira and pfonda / chinungu dance music. The tragedy with this beat is that once you hear one song you have had them all, but Marshal Munhumumwe’s poetic style of lyrics, gave it a new dimension that has proved to be timeless. Not only are his waxing lyrics appealing but he also adopts an advisory capacity in his presentations as he touches on common social problems, such as bareness among women, deaths in family, poverty etc. If you listen to any one of his such songs, you are left with a kind of relief, that encourages you to plod on with life despite some of its setbacks. Being the best managed group with no defections /splits the Four Brothers are also popular for a very consistent, tight sound which is very crispy guarded by a heavy bass line rhythm. This group has toured most parts of Europe including the UK and received very favourable reviews over their live performances. Back home their albums and singles compilations continue to sell very well. However, over the last four years death has taken its toll to the founding members of the band. Marshall was the first to die then followed by Never Mutare the bass guitarist and only recently in July, Alex passed away. Only Frank is the original member, still with band and the replacements so far are not disappointing as they continue to be torch bearers of that distinct original Four Brothers sound. What has been released so far has been well received by the market.