. MATTY P

By AUSTIN KALUBA –
MATTEO Phiri, whose unmistakable resonant voice on-the-air brought him something of a cult following as one of Zambia’s best-known radio personalities, died last week at his home in Chalala in Lusaka. He was 70.
“The cause of his death was prostate cancer,” said his second-born son, James Phiri.
Matty P, as he was affectionately known, was a radio show host right up until his death, broadcasting his last favourite music programme “Rhumba Rumble” on 5 FM first from Lotti House in Lusaka and recently from Interchem Building near Levy Mall Shopping Complex.
As a broadcaster, his contagious humour and charm endeared him to numerous listeners who were familiar with quotes in ci-Nyanja like Ku vina sibalesa manje kavinidwe (while dancing is not disallowed, one should mind the way they dance) becoming part of urban folk lore.
Earlier when he worked for Zambia Broadcasting Services (ZBS), the present-day Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), he was never short of inventing catch phrases like ‘Lock up your daughters, Mattie P is in town’ on his Saturday Swing music show.
Later he presented the Pick A Lot show, where he sometimes featured Dr Joze, a radio comedian who imitated the Kasai people of DR Congo.
Other programmes that endeared him to listeners was the Bata Spotlight show on which he proved to be an announcer in a class of his own.
Matty P was an artiste, a feature that saw his creativity overlap to other artistic pursuits especially in music.
He would spice up his music shows with down memory tit bits where he challenged the younger generation with his jaunty brag ‘don’t argue, you were not there.’
He was born Matteo Johnson Phiri in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on November 22, 1945 to Johnson Phiri, a Zambian migrant, and Jokiwe Phiri.
In the colonial period, Bulawayo was a citadel of black art with popular bands of the day churning out Kwela tunes or what came to be defined as Township Jazz.
The gifted lad grew up in an environment brushing shoulders with icons of the day like George Sibanda, Dorothy Masuka and the like.
In 1960, he attended school at Lusikeyi Primary School before graduating to the prestigious Mpopoma and Mzilikazi high schools.
It was during this period that he fell in love with Jazz listening to African American artistes like Duke Ellington, Louis Satchmo and Billie Holiday.
He also listened a lot to South African artistes like the Manhattan Brothers, Dark City Sisters, African Jazz Pioneers and a young afroed singer called Miriam Makeba.
His interest in music meant he had to try a hand at playing in a band, joining an amateur group called Vienna Choir.
A teacher who noticed his talent taught him how to play a guitar which led to the youth forming his own band quaintly named as the Cool Four.
The band was so popular in Zimbabwe that it performed as a support band for Louis Armstrong when the husky-voiced Jazz artiste toured Zimbabwe.
Later, Matty P played for a band called Golden Rhythm Crooners as a lead guitarist.
In 1966, he headed north to Zambia for greener pasture since at the time Zimbabwe, then called Southern Rhodesia, provided the cream of personnel in Zambia because of the former’s advanced social system.
Returning migrants usually had a superior understanding of the way things were done ‘down south in sozberi’ (Salisbury).
The country produced good journalists like Bill Saidi, Albert Mvula, alias Farai Munyuki, Kelvin Mlenga, Matteo Phiri and Cephas Maseko.
Matteo Phiri cascaded to fame as Matty P, a hero on the national broadcaster ZNBC and later on 5 FM airwaves. He was also a pioneer of Zambian advertising.
He was among a group of talented Zambian announcers like Dr Mannaseh Phiri, Swithin Haangala, Charles Mando, Mann Sichalwe, Lawson Chishimba and Frank Mutubila.
After leaving ZBS, he joined Lightfoot Advertising Company where he showcased his creativity by coming up with catchy jingles for different products and services.
He later formed an advertising firm of his own and continued freelancing as a radio announcer featuring on radio both as an entertainer and advertiser.
In 2005, he formed 5FM later wooing a coterie of top-notch radio announcers like Sam Sakala, Deejay Bosco, Rikki Banda and Mike Tabor.
He put his vast experience as a broadcaster and socialite to good use by spicing his music spins with down memory titbits.
This author was inspired by the broadcaster to start writing down memory lane titbits for UKZambian and the Zambia Daily Mail.
There were plans to do a joint radio programme of down memory lane titbits on 5FM.
His trademark phrase during his music programmes was ‘don’t argue, you were not there.’
And nobody argued with his knowledge of social Zambia.
Matty P would inform, educate and entertain listeners by playing a variety of music genres and coming up with surprising titbits of social Zambia.
He would announce something like ‘in 1972, a brand new Mercedes Benz car cost K2,000, a sex worker charged K1 or at one time bottled beer was not labelled but was simply identified as ‘brown bottle,’ don’t argue, you were not there.’
Though he quit drinking and frequenting social places, Matty P was at one time associated with social functions in Lusaka. His favourites jaunts then were Lusaka Hotel, Grand Bar and Lotus Inn.
At the time of his death, he lived in Libala Stage Three before moving to New Kabwata and finally settled in Chalala where he died.
He was highly creative both as a broadcaster and advertiser. He was also a closet musician who played a variety of instruments like the guitar, saxophone and keyboard.
Matty P was a multi-linguist who spoke si-Ndebele, ci-Nyanja and Afrikaans, languages that put him in a better stead as a broadcaster.
He married Grace, a former government employee who remained with him till death.
In the studio, he was every bit as humourous as he sounded, with his face contorting, his eyes bulging and his hands waving expressively.
And he had a habit of issuing outrageous orders, like “don’t argue, you were not there’ to his listeners.
It was not until you met the man in person that you would match the voice with a face. And many of his fans were not disappointed. Matty P looked the part, with his sober and old-fashioned disposition.
He loved the late 60’s and the 70’s, sharing the memories of these periods with his listeners. He even refused to call Zaire, DR Congo, choosing instead to call it by the old name because it resonated with the country he knew.
His friend Swithin Haangala, another long-time radio announcer and advertiser, spoke lovingly of Matty P.
“Matteo Phiri and Mannaseh Phiri were superstars who inspired other broadcasters. I remember Mannaseh introducing himself  and the late as ‘ I am Mannasseh Phiri with the other Phiri boy’.”
Mr Haangala described Matty P as a great broadcaster who should be emulated by both the older and younger generation of broadcasters.
Rikki Banda, popularly known as Rikki B, another 5FM radio legend, remembered his boss as a jovial and humourous person.
“Every time I came into contact with him, I would learn a new thing about life and broadcasting. We have lost a great man and broadcaster.”
General Kingsley Chinkuli, a close friend to the Phiri family, lamented the death of his friend whom he described as a very friendly person who touched the hearts of many Zambians.
Matteo Phiri’s second-born son James described his father as a man who used humour even when a situation was serious.
“He had a good spirit that made people naturally gravitate to him. Even when he was in pain as a result of cancer which he battled for four years, he would mask his pain with humour.”
Dr Mannaseh Phiri, another iconic figure in Zambian broadcasting described the late radio personality as the Godfather of Zambian radio who inspired him to join broadcasting.
Veteran musician Rikki Ililonga, another close friend of Matty P, said he held the late broadcaster in high esteem.
“He had done this country a great service in both broadcasting and advertising. His passing is a great loss to the country especially his fans.”
The late is survived by his Grace, his wife of 46 years, three children and several grand children.
He will be put to rest tomorrow  at Memorial Park after a church service at Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka.
As the country mourns Matty P, the jazz lover, broadcaster and advertiser, people should know that there will never be another Matty P, whose witty and humour resonated with fans becoming part of Zambian lore.