William Osale was a fingerstyle guitarist who performed and recorded in Kenya during the 1950s and 60s. Osale was a rural musician who played in the ‘sukuti’ style – a rhythmic style of finger-style playing invented by George Mukabi that results in a light, ‘bouncy’ sound.
In his “A History of Kenyan Guitar Music: 1945-1980”, John Low writes, “Some rural finger-stylists like George Mukabi and William Osale also had success in the towns, providing Swahili versions of songs that they might sing in local languages back home. The appeal of their songs lay in the fact that many town dwellers had (and still have) strong links with the land, and the themes of these songs, often conservative and sometimes nostalgic, reminded them of the old values.”
The song appears to be a plaintive love song beckoning a woman named Tanyembe to return to her heartbroken beloved.
I do not have a recording date for this record – but will add one if I find a definitive source. My best guess is sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Released as CMS African Record TOP 24.
Credits:
William Osale – guitar, vocals
Unknown Artist – vocal harmony, glass bottle
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