Bio

Gonora Sounds

Short Band Bio

Gonora Sounds is a street band with music roots embedded in Zimbabwe's sungura genre but enfused with what is known on the streets of Zimbabwe as the Gonora Sounds. Led by blind Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist Daniel Gonora with the help of Isaac (Daniel's son, drummer and protege). The duo have spent nearly a decade and a half jamming on the streets of Zimbabwe, first starting out as the First Street Band. In a former life, Gonora was a member of one of Zimbabwe's most successful bands, The Jairosi Jiri Band. After the group disbanded, he fell on hard times but found an appreciation of his music on the streets of Zimbabwe. The pair's playing has seen them garner over 10 million views on social media. For their debut full length album Hard Times Never Kill, the duo incorporated bassist Malizani Mbewe and Lead Guitarist Nelson "Mr Longman" Mutanda. As well as Sehlaphi Mtombeni and Isabel Piyo on backing vocals.

Album

Hard Times Never Kill

Gonora Sounds

Full-length, studio album featuring nine new recordings, and two bonus tracks available exclusively via Dust-to-Digital. This release includes a 22-page booklet in PDF format.

Gonora Sounds is a Zimbabwean band led by blind singer/songwriter Daniel Gonora. The guitar virtuoso is accompanied by his young son Isaac Gonora on drums. In recent years,
Full-length, studio album featuring nine new recordings, and two bonus tracks available exclusively via Dust-to-Digital. This release includes a 22-page booklet in PDF format.

Gonora Sounds is a Zimbabwean band led by blind singer/songwriter Daniel Gonora. The guitar virtuoso is accompanied by his young son Isaac Gonora on drums. In recent years, the band has extended to include Nelson “Mr Longman” Mutanda on guitar, Malizani Mbewe on bass, and backing vocalists Sehlaphi Mtombeni and Isabel Piyo.

Jon Pareles, New York Times: "Gonora Sounds, from Zimbabwe, is led by a blind guitarist, Daniel Gonora. His style is called sungura, which meshes Zimbabwe’s own traditions — guitar picking that echoes the plinking patterns of thumb pianos — with styles from across Africa. 'Kusaziva Kufa' ('Ignorance') taunts anyone who doubted that his music would survive; between drums, vocals and guitars, it’s a syncopated marvel that shifts to an even higher gear halfway through."

Jim Hickson, The Quietus: “Sungura has this ability to bring the summer, no matter when you hear it. The shimmering electric guitars, bounding bass, tight harmonies and the gruff but passionate voice of Daniel Gonora all give this album a light, carefree, and joyous feel. It’s perfect for evoking a beating sun and the fragrance of baking grass, and as the style is based around circular chord sequences, it all feels as if it could spiral on and on into infinity.”
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Album details

Hard Times Never Kill is an album about beating the odds, straight from the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe. Many people will remember Daniel Gonora from a viral video that's racked up millions of social media views. The clip features a blind street guitarist, Mr. Gonora, shredding on solar-powered electric guitar, while his unmic’d voice soars above the infectious beat provided by then his 12-year-old son, Isaac, on a homemade drum kit. Thanks to these viral videos, music fans around the world are getting to know Daniel Gonora, the extraordinary blind guitarist, singer and bandleader from Zimbabwe. Those videos showed him busking on the streets of Harare, But this album showcases his full range as an artist: him on acoustic, his unique street setup, and him playing with his full sungura band. From the heart of Harare, Zimbabwe: Daniel Gonora and Gonora Sound

Press / Reviews

"...bounce and ricochet with the joyus energy of the Bhundu Boys at their most exuberant." ”

— Uncut

"Daniel and Isaac Gonora (and band) bring the sunshine sound of Zimbabwean sungura"”

— The Quietus

"Between drums, vocals and guitars, it's (Kusaziva Kufa) a syncopated marvel that shifts to an even higher gear halfway through." ”

— The New York Times

"Gonora Sounds take on the (sungura) style is somewhat more rugged than most. Isaac’s drumming is a downpour of rolls and patters, while his father’s guitar drips cascades of fireflies." ”

— The Wire Magazine

"There's not a second here when your heart won't be thumping with the ridiculous joyfulness of it all"”

— Mojo Magazine

"Rapid-fire dance single in the shape of "The Journey of Life remix." This new song is a fresh take on Zimbabwean Sungura Music" ”

Okay Africa

Video

Press photos