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Peter Kalumba Chishalabetter known by his stage name PK Chishala, was a Zambian musician. He is considered by many, to be one of the greatest musicians of the Kalindula genre. He contributed to the development and popularising the genre. His signature song is "Common Man", he has also produced several hits i.e. "Pole-Pole (church elder)", "Na Musonda" , "Mwaume Walutuku" and so forth.

Music career

He debuted with "Icisosa Cipamano", which he recorded at Malachite Studios during his school days. Although it was not a huge success, the song gave an indication of what he was capable of doing. He followed it up with "Ba Pastor", which took a swipe at the immoral behavior of pastors. Naturally, it did not go down well in religious circles. Some sections of society thought that the song was a true story, but PK refuted that. Some called for it to be banned saying it was blasphemous. But despite the controversy, it went on to win the Song of the Year award in 1985. He followed it up with the album Church Elder, released under the Kariba label by Teal Record Company, and whose title-track exposes the misdeeds of one "church elder" by the name of Pole Pole. The album had other songs like "Impumba Mikowa", a lament from orphans complaining about their plight, and "Mulele", a Luvale song advising a school girl to first complete her education instead of rushing into marriage. The title-track won PK the 1987 Soloist of the Year Award, and made him the country's flag bearer at the 1988 World of Music and Dance (WOMAD) Festival, an annual event held in the UK. He was sponsored by Teal Record and was backed by the Masasu Band. P.K. Chishala & the Great Pekachi Band was one of the first wave of kalindula music along with Junior Mulemena Boys, and the Masasu Band. One of the songs that he performed there, Umuti wa Aids, was featured on the WOMAD compilation album. After that, he released "Na Musonda", on which he introduced his wife "Harriet" on backing vocals. The album also had the humorous song Kubwaiche. In 1993, he Released his fourth album Umwaume walutuku. For the song "Common man",the late P.K Chishala was once observed to be against the then President Kenneth Kaunda.

The song was originally composed and performed by Bennet Simbeye. The album also had the satirical Muchibolya and the danceable Lelo ni Weekend, which is highly popular at weddings.

Discography

Studio albums

Popular songs

• Church elder
• Chimbaya mbaya
• Na Musonda
• Nakufele
• Umunadi
• Mwaume Walutuku
• Common man

References

1. Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East 1999 - Page 704 1858286352 "The first wave of kalindula was spearheaded by Junior Mulemena Boys, P.K. Chishala & the Great Pekachi Band, the Masasu Band, Serenje Kalindula and the Oliya Band - and stimulated sufficient interest for British tours. By the late 1980s, ."
2. Leonard Koloko ZAMBIAN MUSIC LEGENDS 1470953358 2012 Page 281 "PK Chishala's fourth and last album was again a controversial piece of work, this time from a socio-cultural point of view.... Common Man (Teal Record Company, 1993) 4. p.281
3. All Africa,"Remembering P K Chishala", All Africa, 16 March 2013
4. Re-Presenting Disability: Activism and Agency in the Museum Richard Sandell, Jocelyn Dodd, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson - 2013 Page 59 1136616489 "... folk singer and a blind man who was not only a successful musician but the country's only disabled person to become a Minister in the Zambian government during the late 1980s, and another prominent blind musician, P. K. Chishala. Surviving relatives of P.K Chishala include Abia Mwakalago."
5. "PK Chishala". lusakatimes.com. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
6. "PK Chishala Discography". discogs.com. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
7. "PK Chishala Discography". discogs.com. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
8. "PK Chishala Discography". discogs.com. Retrieved December 25, 2022.

• 1957 births
• 1995 deaths
• Zambian musicians