Chiwoniso Maraire

She was the daughter of Zimbabwean mbira master and teacher Dumisani Maraire[1] (and former officer in the Zimbabwe Ministry of Sports and Culture in the early 1980s).

"[4] Born in 1976 in Olympia, Washington, where her father had moved his family, The song bird spent the first seven years of her life in the US.

[5] In the early 1990s, when she was 15, she formed part of the Afro-fusion hip-hop trio A Peace of Ebony, which "was perhaps the first group to fuse mbira with contemporary beats".

[6] In 1996, she joined The Storm, a band led by guitarist Andy Brown (who later became her husband): "The Storm became one of Zimbabwe's biggest bands, touring the world and winning accolades.... Maraire's firm voice and Brown's plucky guitar made a beautiful combination.

[7] In 1998, she toured West Africa and Europe with fellow mbira player, Kurai Mubaiwa, serving as the opening act for Cape Verdean singer-songwriter Cesária Évora.

[21] Chiwoniso was honoured by Radio France ("Decouverte Afrique") for her debut album, Ancient Voices (1998), and was nominated in the Kora All-Africa Music Awards for best female vocals of Africa in 1999.