The Zayn Adam Story
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MASTER OF ARTS IN CREATIVE WRITING DISSERTATION NAME: LLEWELLIN RG JEGELS STUDENT NUMBER: 3689290 DEPARTMENT: ENGLISH DEGREE: MA (CREATIVE WRITING) UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR JULIA MARTIN DISSERTATION TITLE: Music Memoir as an evocation of cultural legacy: The Zayn Adam story (Genre: Biography) DATE OF SUBMISSION: 13 NOVEMBER 2019 CITATION STYLE: MLA, Edition 8 Submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of Western Cape, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Creative Writing. I certify that this portfolio is my own work. Where references are used, I have acknowledged my sources. 13/11/2019 ………………………………… …………………….. SIGNATURE DATE https://etd.uwc.ac.za Acknowledgements I would like to thank the family of the late Zayn Adam for being receptive to the idea of a biographic thesis on his life. I would also like to thank Zayn’s former Golden Dixies’ partner, Jonathan Stevens, former Pacific Express manager, Paddy Lee-Thorp, as well as Glenn Robertson, Danyaal Adams and Dmitri Jegels whose roles were pivotal in enabling me to reconstruct a narrative that spanned several decades. Lastly, I would like to pay tribute to my late Professor Michael Wessels who guided me through the initial proposal, and my current supervisor, Professor Julia Martin, without whose encouragement through challenging times for both of us, this thesis would not have been completed. I would also like to thank the University of the Western Cape, in particular, Assoc. Professor Fiona Moolla, Dr. Courtney Davids and Dr. Meg Vandermerwe, who believed in me at a time when I was new to academia. Their constant encouragement allowed me to persevere. https://etd.uwc.ac.za CONTENTS Abstract ..................................................................................................................... 1 Space Oddity ............................................................................................................. 2 Send in the clowns .................................................................................................... 9 We got a good thing going on ................................................................................17 He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother ...........................................................................32 Say the last goodbye ...............................................................................................55 Both sides now: Reflections on writing Zayn Adam’s biography .....................65 Appendix I - Interview with Danyaal Adams (Zayn’s son) ....................................77 Appendix II - Interview with Paddy Lee-Thorp (Zayn’s former manager) ............92 Appendix III - Consent Forms .................................................................................99 Glossary..................................................................................................................103 Endnotes .................................................................................................................104 Bibliography ...........................................................................................................113 https://etd.uwc.ac.za Abstract Musicians of colour are under-represented in the South African archive, in part due to the ravages of apartheid and the lack of resources to chronicle their trajectories outside of the production of their music alone. In this biography, I excavate the story of Zayn Adam, an iconic member of the popular 1970s Cape Flats band, Pacific Express, and construct a narrative based predominantly on a four-hour interview he had with Jonathan Stevens, a co-member of the Cape Minstrel band, the Golden Dixies, plus interviews I conducted with Paddy Lee-Thorp, Zayn’s former manager, Zayn’s son, Danyaal and Glenn Robertson who helped manage Zayn’s last show. I explore the relationships between the various bands and their creation of music fusion as a means of transcending economic realities which forced this artistic reinvention upon which they had to rely as a means of survival, particularly when performing in white clubs. I also explore the role of music as a form of cultural commentary and cultural memory against the backdrop of apartheid. Each chapter is titled after a popular song that reflects the spirit of the chapter. In the essay that follows, I reflect on the process of writing the biography, considering the challenges of historiography in general, and of biography in particular. Keywords: Zayn Adam, Pacific Express, Biography, Music, Culture, Memory, Apartheid 1 https://etd.uwc.ac.za Space Oddity I met Zayn Adam while he was in rehearsal for a Pacific Express reunion concert in February 2015, a few weeks before his unexpected and tragic passing, at age 67. At the time, I was involved in a music endeavour with a few partners to bring, not unlike Sixto Rodriguez of “Searching for Sugarman” fame, former Ikettes’ starlet, PP Arnold to these shores. I felt excited about meeting such an iconic musician as the great Zayn, whose famous song, “Give a Little Love,” was synonymous with all things disco/pop-related in the 1970s and 80s. Unbeknown to me, and much to my delight, two of my partners had arranged that Zayn’s reunion concert would also form part of our showcasing of PP Arnold at N1 City in March 2015. Here, right in front of me, was the legend himself, all charm and grace as he started rehearsals. Zayn hugged me and every time after that initial meeting, we hugged each other, knowing somehow that our fates would be entwined, if only, for a brief moment. Zayn Adam (Image - courtesy of Glenn Robertson) Zayn Adam, born Mogamed Zane Adams, entered this world on the 7th of July 1947, the day of the infamous Roswell incident. In the summer of 1947, a farmer notified authorities of an unidentified object he had discovered in his pasture near Roswell, New Mexico. Despite the official rhetoric emanating from the local Air Force base who suggested it was merely a faulty weather balloon, thousands of people believed it to be the remains of a UFO. Zayn was incredibly proud of this cosmic convergence of dates. As he said to Jonathan Stephens in their interview, with obvious delight, “I was not born here, I was brought here.” Convergences of this kind are themes that artists revel in because they add to the mystique, the allure of their public personas. For Zayn, being associated by birth with such a stellar incident 2 https://etd.uwc.ac.za meant he always felt that he was from another world, that he both belonged and did not belong, not unlike those saints who grace our world with their presence for a season, but never fail to make an indelible impression. In an interview with one of his former Golden Dixie band members, Jonathan Stevens, in 2008, Zayn stated that being born so long ago (1947), made him “kind of ancient, … in a way.” i This brings to mind the struggle artists, in general, have to contend with. The relentless passage of time affects, and, possibly, even erodes their relevance as artists in an increasingly demanding, and often fickle, marketplace. This was something Zayn experienced after going solo in 1980/1. Pacific Express was no more, and the public soon forgot one of their favourite sons. The Golden Dixies had been founded by Majiet Omar in the 1950s and it soon became a fruitful and productive springboard for many an international career including Sammy Hartman, Jonathan Butler and Danny Williams (the latter affectionately referred to as Britain’s Johny Mathis). Danny Williams’ rendition of “Moon River” reached number one in the UK, selling more than a million copies in 1961. Although the Carnival is associated formally with Cape Town, Majiet Omar, forming a troupe in Johannesburg called The Dixie Merrymakers which only later, in Durban, became known as The Golden Dixies and were supported by Maurice Smith. In April 1959, the troupe became South Africa’s first internationally-touring performing ensemble. Although the term ‘Coon Carnival’ was in use for a long time it became problematic with its overt dehumanising overtones and ‘Minstrel(s)’ or ‘Klopse’ became the preferred reference. ii Zayn grew up in Salt River, as the second eldest child. His family tree includes Indonesian, Malaysian and Javanese roots. His paternal grandmother was Gadija Scott, giving rise to his father’s nickname, Scotty. His actual name, however, was Abubaker Adams. Zayn’s mother was A young Zayn Adam (Image – courtesy of the Adam’s family) affectionately known as Antie Nappie, a moniker for the name Janap Kamish, sister to the family dynasty that owned Kamish Electrical. The local 3 https://etd.uwc.ac.za community was fond of conferring nicknames on people and Abubakar could become Boebie, Sumaya could become Maya, Yacoob/Boeta Kuffie, Yusuf/Boeta Jo, Kulsum/Koelie, Abdullah/Doela, Galiema/Lima and, as a family member jokingly claims, the names Doela, Gamat and Pang covered about 90 percent of his family and friends. If you had a light-skinned friend, he claims, he was almost always known as ‘Boere’. Zayn said that his upbringing was not strict but that it was ‘South African’ in the 1940s and 1950s, in that he was treated as a ‘subhuman’ under apartheid. Zayn’s youngest sister, Rukieba is married to Chris Schilder Ebrahiem, a member of the famous Schilder music family. His older sister is called Gadija, but everyone knows her as Tina. Zayn also has three brothers, Zahier, Faried and Zumar. At the time of his passing, Zayn was married to Jadimah, the mother of two of his four children,