PETER LIKHOMO, Musician, producer, guitarist and vocalist

Music, like any other career, involves transfer of talents from one individual to another even without the involvement of professional teachers or lecturers in a classroom. This is the phenomenon that has seen Peter Likhomo being labelled as one of the greatest achievers in Malawi’s music industry. Our reporter ALBERT SHARRA tells his story.

Coming from Mpama Village, (T/A) Kadewere in Chiradzulu, Likhomo, the only male child in a family of four, moved to Blantyre with his family in the late 70’s. Little did he dream of ending up in the music industry.

The born-again Roman Catholic says he comes from a family that has no music background and terms his drift to music as God’s wish.

“There was no one to inspire me to join music in my family. Even my childhood days were not directly associated with anything to do with music. I can just say God really wanted me to be in music,” says the artist.

Likhomo was inspired by community bands which used local materials such as tree branches and twine to make guitars and tins and plastics to make drums. At eight Likhomo says he made his own guitar and drum. He says he was performing with friends at home. Among the friends, he says, was versatile instrumentalist Collen Ali.

“I am happy to see Ali soaring high as he has done over the years. I introduced him to music and he has taught many others,” he says.

Likhomo says the use of ordinary instruments to play music raised his curiosity to do more in music. He adds that he was also inspired by Wellos Banda who played several instruments in the Apostolic Faith Church Band in Naperi in Blantyre.

Together with Ali and others, Likhomo was invited by Banda to join the church’s band in 1987. He says he was introduced to the drums and he performed with the band for three years.

This was the beginning of a new chapter in his career. The late Saleta Phiri spotted him and registered him to join his new ABC Band.

Saleta entrusted him with playing the lead guitar and together with Louis Chokani and Jack Kasosa, their combination wowed crowds.

However, he just stayed with the band for two years. Ethel Kamwendo-Banda approached him to join her band as a guitarist. He met Rose Chipembere, Ali, Kasosa and Edson Chingolo at the band.

Those who were there still remember Kamwendo-Banda’s popular song Chalaka Bakha. Likhomo and the crew took the song to all corners of the country between 1992 and 1993.

Midway through the year, Likhomo left the band and joined hands with Ali, Ben Michael, Jack Kamwendo and Peter Malata to form the Mibawa Band. Likhomo says it was a great combination and the band was among the best at that time. The band was even selected to curtainraise the first performance of Kanda Bongoman in Malawi in 1994.

At the end of 1994, Likhomo quit again to join Makasu Band. Twelve months later, he, together with Isaac Nyirenda and others, founded the Rukuru Band. The band survived till 1995.

In trying to search for gold, Likhomo found himself with the Ebony Band in 1996. The same year, he transferred to Acacias Band, but things were not rosy. He then decided to rejoin Makasu Band in 1997 where the late Bright Nkhata and Ali were serving as senior members. He says Jai Banda watched them at one of their performances and was so impressed that he offered to sponsor the group.

The same year, Banda sponsored (Likhomo, Ali and Nkhata) to travel to Zimbabwe to record the popular hit Muroyi at Prince Tendai’s High Density studios.

“We made our name with the release, but things were not rosy as we expected. I started to think about quitting and joining another band. I approached Ali and discussed the idea to form Kaligo Melodies which we formed at the end of 1998,” he says.

As a group, he says they released their debut album called Tinjoye. Their success story attracted Billy Kaunda who had defected from Zembani Band on money issues to join them. Likhomo says he was behind the instrumentation and production of Kaunda’s hit album Kumidima.

At this time, Likhomo says he was an expert in music recording and production and was working with other great producers such as Joseph Tembo and the late Chuma Soko. It is this time which he says he wrote his greatest profile in contributing to the music industry. He says his name and work is in almost all the best albums released between 1998 to date.

He now provides several services such as arrangement, production, recording and directing of music production apart from his key roles of a guitarist and vocalist.

Other artists that soared high with his studio and instrumentation talents according to him are Mlaka Maliro, Lucius Banda, Kaunda, Paul Banda and other Balaka based artists.

Currently, Likhomo says he is heading the Kaligo Melodies with Ali and he will be releasing his first album called Dalitsani Africa by September this year.

He reckons his time in Botswana and the time when they were using local instruments to produce music as his unforgotten experience in music.

Likhomo is married to Ida and together have three children Annie, Manuel and Bridget. He is currently based in Chilobwe Township in Blantyre and makes his living through music services.