BIG CHIEF MKUJA - About Us

ABOUT BIG CHIEF MKUJA

Listen to Twelve Braves Album BBC Artist Page

"No one was making the music we wanted to hear in the early 21st century so we had no alternative but to make it ourselves."

It originally started as a "side project" to put together some loose bits and pieces of songs showcasing the songwriting talents of Kent Godwin, but ended up as a fully blown enterprise.

The name Big Chief Mkuja came about as the result of a mysterious face that appeared on a CCTV screen. The face of a man with long black hair and strident features, looking a bit like a pirate or an Indian warrior. This image persisted for a time and people were continually amazed to see it. Finally, the CCTV was turned off, never to be seen again, at least until the release of the Iceberg album.

The album 12 BRAVES was recorded between 1999 and 2001, with a line-up consisting of Kent Godwin (Guitar / Vocals), Fred Reynolds (Bass / Vocals – ex pro musician with several named bands), Clive Thomas (Drums / Vocals - ex. The Room), Harry Godwin (Vocals - Axeattack), Mike Ware (Drums / Vocals), and Sarah Biggs (Backing Vocals).

This production was stopped in its tracks when all studio equipment was stolen—including all digital recordings—before any final mixing and editing was possible. The release therefore has some blemishes, but the songs and performances were too good not to put out. 12 Braves was released in April 2002, followed by a remastered version in 2014.

After a gap of 10 years, when members were involved in other musical projects, a follow-up album ICEBERG was recorded over two years. The line-up for this recording was Kent Godwin (Guitar / Vocals), Mike Ware (Drums / Vocals), and Miss Demeanor (Vocals). It was released in September 2012 to critical acclaim.

The album was recorded in very cold temperatures as befits the title, inside a cellar studio and an unheated factory unit. The tracks "Mermaid" and "The Train Song" were featured on Stuart Maconie's Radio 6 Freakzone show, with "The Train Song" released as the first single in Jan 2013. A new working of "Surprise" (featuring instrumentation and production by Fred Reynolds and a video created by Jack Godwin) followed as the second single.

A HILL OF BEANS is the latest release.