Tony Bird (3)

Tony Bird (born 1945, died 17 April 2019 following a battle with cancer) was a folk rock singer-songwriter who was born and grew up in Nyasaland (now Malawi) in Southern Africa. He is known for his Dylanesque vocals and for his songs describing life in colonial Nyasaland from a progressive anti-colonial point of view. In 1962 he moved to the UK and after finishing his education joined the Forestry Commission in Scotland. He eventually returned to Malawi and then back to the UK, where he met Ben Nesbitt and Artie Mogull, who introduced him to CBS records, which meant another move to the USA. Bird made his first solo performances at the Space Theatre in Cape Town, where his unique African style was reviewed favorably by press and promoters. He recorded two albums in the 1970s. His comeback CD Sorry Africa, released in 1990 on Rounder Records in the USA and Mountain Records in Europe and Africa, included the hit song "Mango Time", which describes the happiness of the mangoes being ripe, once a year. He toured with Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the 1980s, who recorded his song "Go Willie Go". He lived in New York City, U.S.[2]