John Edmond

John Edmond, also known as the "Bush Cat", (born 18 November 1936) is a Rhodesian-South African musician and former soldier.

Edmond's musical career began in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His early music career ran parallel to his military service in the Rhodesia Regiment, which he served in from 1960 to 1963. During his time in the military, Edmond often performed his music for his fellow soldiers. Following his time in the military, Edmond relocated to Johannesburg in the mid-1960s, working in both I.T. and music during his initial years of living in South Africa.

Edmond gained increased recognition in 1966 after writing "The U.D.I. Song" for South African singer Nick Taylor, a song which charted in Rhodesia and South Africa and subsequently began a full-time career in music. From 1971 to 1979, Edmond had a career as an armed entertainer for troops in the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. His work as an entertainer for the military during the Bush War led him to writing and releasing his most notable album Troopiesongs in 1976, which is largely written about the Bush War.

After the Rhodesian Bush War's conclusion and the independence of Zimbabwe, Edmond continued his music career in South Africa. He later started his own record label called Roan Antelope Music, named after the Roan Antelope copper mine in modern-day Zambia that Edmond worked in as a young man, under which he released his own music.

Due to running parallel to his time working for the Rhodesian Armed Forces, Edmond's earlier music often was about military service, major events in Rhodesian military history, and the life of soldiers. In addition to still writing about music related to the lives of soldiers and military service, Edmond's later music also often included topics about notable events and figures in the history of Southern Africa, his own family, and about life and the people of Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, and Christian themes.

Background John Edmond was born on 18 November 1936 in the town of Luanshya, which at the time of his birth was a part of the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia, and is now presently located in Zambia as a part of the country's Copperbelt Province. Edmond's family is of Scottish origin. Edmond and his immediate family split their time between Edinburgh and Luanshya during his childhood. As a teenager, Edmond received further education at the Christian Brothers' College in Pretoria, South Africa.

Edmond was given a mouth organ as a birthday gift from his grandmother at age three and subsequently mastered the instrument within half an hour. As a Boy Scout, he played the bugle and was in the local Scout bugle band. While at school in Edinburgh, he was chosen to sing in the St John's Boys' Choir. At Christian Brothers' College, Edmond frequently took part in the productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, often being in lead roles in these productions, and was also the lead drummer in the college's pipe band. He went on to win the South African Junior drumming championships at the Royal Scottish gathering at Wembley in 1953. After college, Edmond returned to Luanshya and worked at the Roan Antelope copper mine.

Edmond joined Southern Rhodesia's Royal Rhodesia Regiment at Bulawayo. He served with the 3rd Battalion on the Congo border in Nyasaland and Southern Rhodesia. After his military service, Edmond went to England to study computers and moved to South Africa in the mid-1960s. He became famous in Rhodesia during the Bush War with his album Troopiesongs. He was also a composer, writing hits like "The U.D.I. Song". After the war and Zimbabwean independence, Edmond recorded albums such as Zimsongs and Zimtrax.

In the 1980's, Edmond founded his own record label called Roan Antelope Music (RAM); since the 1980's the majority of Edmond's music has been published under RAM. One of the first notable works published under RAM was The story of Troopiesongs and the Rhodesian Bush War, a collection of lyrics for Troopiesongs. Prior to the creation of RAM, Edmond's music was published under labels such as Gallo and the now-defunct Satbel.

Since 1987, Edmond and his wife, Theresa, have owned and maintained a resort in South Africa named Kunkuru, located in the Bela-Bela area.

In 2018, Edmond released the album Legends, an album that was written in honor of notable figures of the various peoples and time periods of South Africa, including Paul Kruger, Shaka Zulu, Wolraad Woltemade, and Nelson Mandela. Edmond released his 50th album, Tales of the Birdwatchers.

Discography

Singles Year Label Notes Farewell Britannia 1969 Storm Die Eerste Kersfeesnag 1969 Storm Fairytales 1969 Storm Hit single Round and Round 1970 Storm Hit single Boom Sha-la-la-lo 1971 Storm Hit single written for John by Bruce Woodley of The Seekers while they were in South Africa Pasadena 1972 Map Hit single Every Day, Every Night 1972 Map Hit single Toy Train 1973 Map Hit single Hello Susan 1974 Map Jock of the Bushveld 1975 Map Goodbye Is The Saddest Song 1975 Map Hit single Nomad of the Kalahari 1976 Map One Day He'll Call Me Daddy 1976 Map It's Good To See You 1977 Jo'burg Blue Brown Eyed Lady 1977 Jo'burg Louie 1978 RSA Bye Bye Butterfly 1979 EMI Forever Young 1980 Gallo The Electric Thing 1981 Gallo The 124th Cavalry Regiment Lives On 2017 RAM Produced in cooperation with the 124th Cavalry Regiment Association.