Self-taught left-handed guitarist Immanuel ‘Brazho’ |Gomusab has shaped Namibian music by fronting legendary cover bands Black 5 and Silver Stars before opening for South Africa’s Harari.
From Tsaobes settlement outside Otjimbingwe in the Erongo region to stages across the country, Brazho is one of Namibia’s most gifted guitarists.
“My love for music started in the living room of my family house. My father, Bethuel, was a musician through and through, and, apart from owning a set of instruments, he was also a respected multi-instrumentalist at Karibib,” Brazho says.
“But as for me, my father did not have the patience to teach me how to play the guitar, because I was left-handed. I would grab a guitar and go into the field and play around with the cords.”
But Brazho was more than just a lead guitar player. With his husky voice, he fronted both Black 5 and Silver Stars, covering monster hits from legends like Barry White, Bill Withers, Santana, T-Connection, Teaspoon and The Waves, making them the band’s own.
“We didn’t just do covers,” Brazho says. “Anyone who saw Black 5 or Silver Stars will tell you we sounded exactly like, or even better than, the original.
NO OVERNIGHT SUCCESS
“It took long hours and a strict rehearsal regiment. We didn’t become great overnight.”
Brazho first started with Black Five, but earlier, there was a small band called Count Six, which was Black Five’s predecessor.
Count Six was from Okahandja and went to play a gig at Karibib, which Brazho and a friend attended.
“The band only consisted of a lead guitarist, two rhythm guitarists and one bass player. There was no keyboardist or even a drummer. They mostly played mbaqanga music and instrumentals,” Brazho recalls.
“One of the local boys asked the band members to give me a try on the lead guitar. I became an instant hit with the crowd,” he says.
After the gig, the band went to Brazho’s house and asked him and his mother if he could join them on their roadshow to Walvis Bay.
The artist’s mother said yes, and he travelled to the coast with Count Six, eventually becoming a band member.
Brazho was not happy with the name of the band, though, and renamed it Black Five.
“When I was still working for Rössing and I moved to Arandis in the mid-70s, I got exposed to rock music in the form of a music documentary of the legendary Jimi Hendrix and Peter Frampton,” he says.
‘THE HENDRIX OF ARANDIS’
“I fell in love with rock, and my lead guitar playing always has an element of rock in it. My guitar playing is very unique. I got so hooked on Hendrix that people even started calling me Jimi Hendrix at Arandis.”
He says the band soon managed to buy a drum set and a keyboard while on tour in the south of the country.
“We were not ready for the Windhoek audience yet, so we first undertook a roadshow to the south. We visited places like Rehoboth, Mariental, Bethanie, Keetmanshoop and Springbok,” he says.
“In fact, it was at Springbok that we bought a second-hand keyboard. We trained a young man who was only used to playing Namastap songs on how to play pop, funk and rock songs. The switch was smooth.”
By the time they played their first gig in Windhoek, the boys were tuned up, he says.
“We played all the popular songs by the likes of Barry White like ‘Satin Love’, ‘See The Trouble With Me’, ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe’, and the Commodores’ super hit ‘Sweet Love’,” he says.
“We also played Bill Withers’ ‘Don’t it Make it Better’, the T-Connections’ ‘A Little More Love’, and we usually opened with Teaspoon Ndelu and the Waves’ hit ‘Friday Night’. We also mastered all Harari’s hit songs.”
Brazho recalls how they were stunned by the crowd during their first gig in Windhoek at Katutura Community Hall.
“We were busy with the sound check and played a full set of four Harari songs, and before we knew it, the people were already paying at the entrance. Soon the venue was packed with screaming and cheering fans,” he says.
SILVER STARS
“Black Five broke, and I then started the Silver Stars, with the core of the former band members remaining. We were only six months old when Harari toured Namibia, and we were asked to open for them on their tour.”
Brazho says they played Harari’s super hit ‘Dancing, Singing’ and were then asked not to play any Harari song during the tour because of their perfect rendition.
Brazho says he was paid N$3 000, which was a fortune at the time, after the Harari roadshow.
He says they filled venues to the rafters at Swakopmund, Otjiwarongo, Tsumeb and Windhoek and even had the luxury to cancel the final gig at Keetmanshoop because of the distance.
Brazho’s biggest regret until today is that Silver Stars, despite the immense talent in the group with people like bassist Ou Shange Haufiku and Ou Jomo Khaoseb on drums, never produced songs of their own until a later stage when teacher Willem //Hoëbeb joined.
THE QUIET LIFE
Now living a much quieter life after he got married, Brazho, who was also a no-nonsense central defender with Golden Bees FC at Okahandja, lives at Sewende Laan informal settlement behind Otjomuise in Windhoek.
Although he is impressed with some of today’s artists, especially in the Ma /Gaisa genre, he says the youngsters must respect their art.
“These kids have opportunities we could only dream about back in the day. The country is free, and they can network with artists beyond our borders. They must respect their talent and stop playing for peanuts.
“Music is their God-given talent, and they are hired because people want music at their events. They are talented so that they must make a living from their craft just like a soccer player in a professional league,” he says.
After his band disbanded, Brazho never stopped.
He says he still jams with friends, and you’ll find him playing at weddings and traditional events across Namibia.
