Life is one great adventure
When speaking of superstars, one seldom thinks that they stay close to you.
John Edmond from Bela-Bela, is a superstar in his own right and known around campfires by military veterans from the Congo border to the rolling hills of Zululand, and from the Mathopo Hills in Zimbabwe, to the dunes of the Namib Desert.
With the crackling of the fire and a twinkle in his eye, he will write a song to make you reminisce, and take you on a nostalgic journey into the African bush. Recruited to boost the morale of troops in the then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), he became good friends with Ian Smith, the Prime Minister of the time, and Colonel Ron Daly, the creator of the Selous Scouts.
John Edmond (88) now lives a peaceful life with his wife Teresa at his residence, ‘Little Mathopo’s’ in Zwartkloof Estate outside Bela-Bela. He is proud of his Scottish roots and tells the story of how his father, Henry Edmond, known as Harry came from Scotland in 1927 to Tanganyika (Tanzania), and eventually made his way on foot from Dar es Salaam, down Lake Tanganyika, and to
Northern-Rhodesia (Zambia) where he settled in Broken Hill as a miner. In 1935 Harry returned to Scotland where he married Elizabeth Galloway and brought her back to Africa.
Born in 1936, John Edmond was educated in Northern Rhodesia and Edinburgh, Scotland. Later his father enrolled him with the Christian Brother’s College (CBC) in Pretoria to start his high school career.
They were not Catholic, but his father reckoned the discipline would do him good. His love for music took off and he became the drummer in the marching band and later won an award for his drumming skills.
After school, he returned to Northern Rhodesia, and in 1956 he joined the military and was a member of the Rhodesia Regiment, until 1962. In 1965 he found employment with the Greaterman’s Group in South Africa. With his love for music, he regularly played in Folk bars and clubs. He applied for a job with Gallo Music and ultimately stayed with Gallo for 16 years.
He later became the CEO. When Gallo was sold to Premier Milling, Edmond went solo and founded his own recording company, which is still a thriving business today.
After getting his first recording break with ‘Fairy Tale’ in 1970, Edmond was invited to attend the World Song Festival in Japan. Here he performed ‘Round and Around’ and the song became an instant hit.
He later created seven consecutive South African hit songs, with ‘Toy Train’ being his biggest hit. Throughout his career, he would work with international sensations like The Carpenters, Vicky
Leandros, Albert Hammond, and Bad Boys Blue.
John Edmond has written 667 songs, of which over 300 have been recorded. With music in his veins, and a heart as big as Africa – John Edmond’s legacy will surely live on forever.
