Empangeni youngster to perform at Splashy

David Jenkins will be performing at the 21st Splashy Fen, taking place from 1-5 April

David had the pleasure of meeting Johnny Clegg last year

He’s our own homegrown ‘White Zulu, but any comparison to Johnny Clegg stops there. He may dress in animal skins and strum an acoustic guitar, but Empangeni’s David Jenkins is taking Maskandi music on a new journey. He has successfully combined Maskandi with Bluegrass, a form of American roots music, similar to Country. And David’s talent has earned him a gig at this year’s 21st Splashy Fen, where his eclectic African sound is sure to be a huge hit and sharing the stage with South Africa’s top bands will be fantastic for this young muso. ‘As a child I spent many happy hours with our Zulu gardener and housekeeper, or with any Zulu children I came into contact with. ‘At the age of nine, I developed a passionate interest in Shaka Zulu, learned to stick fight and do Zulu beadwork.

Maskandi
‘I was given my first guitar when I was 12 and two weeks later was able to play my first basic Maskandi song. ‘I then developed a fascination with Johnny Clegg’s music and spent hours watching his video tapes. ‘In July 2008, I began playing my late father’s banjo, concentrating on the Bluegrass genre, which came easily to me because I had already learned the ‘picking’ technique playing Maskandi. ‘In May last year, I completed my first song, ‘Life is a Never Ending Drum Beat!’ To date he has completed four of his own compilations and is starting to learn the concertina to go with the guitar, banjo and mouth organ he already plays. David is a Grade 12 pupil at Felixton College. He has performed at the 2008 Mondi Eisteddfod, where he received a gold award, the 2009 Zululand Expo, the annual Zulu Dance Festival last year, the Post Idols competition (three times prize winner), made it to the top 150 in the SA’s Got Talent contestant on TV, the Hilton Arts Festival in 2008 and the opening of the Ster-Kinekor Cinema complex in the Boardwalk Inkwazi Shopping Centre. But it’s his appearance at this Splashy Fen that is sure to get David the recognition he deserves.