Born the youngest of 9 children in
Langa, Cape Town, Ous Brenda's father died when she was 2 and she started singing for
tourists to earn money and by the age of 5
she had her first band called the ‘Tiny Tots’.
At 16 she left for Soweto to seek her fortune and her break came when
she was signed to fill in when one of the singers in the band ‘Joy’ went on
maternity leave.
After her contract
expired she formed ‘Brenda and the Big Dudes’ and their breakout hit single
‘Weekend Special’ became the fastest selling record at the time. Affectionately known as Ma Brrr by her fans,
the pint sized singer was known for her outrageous antics and
anti-establishment attitude and kept us all highly entertained with the stories
that would hit the tabloids of the drama in her personal life, most notably her
drug and alcohol abuse and her bisexuality.
The unofficial voice of the townships, her songs often resonated with
the sadness and despair found there. She
had a son in 1989 by a fellow Big Dudes musician and had a short lived marriage
in 1989, divorcing in 1991. Around this
time she became addicted to cocaine and in 1995 she was discovered in a hotel
room with the body of her lesbian lover who had overdosed. She went to rehab and got her career back on
track, with Time magazine publishing an article about her in 2001, citing her
as the Madonna of the Townships. She
still had drug problems and returned to rehab about 30 times or so. On 26 April 2004 she was rushed to hospital
for what the press was told was a massive asthma attack that caused cardiac
arrest and although doctors resuscitated her she slipped into a coma. Fans held vigil outside the hospital for 2
weeks until she died on 9 May. At her
autopsy it came to light that it was a drug overdose that caused her cardiac
arrest and it was believed that the crack cocaine she smoked that night was
laced with rat poison. Her son Bongani
sang ‘I’m So Sorry’ on the soundtrack to the Academy Award winning movie
‘Tsotsi’ and dedicated it to his mother.
During her lifetime Brenda recorded many award winning albums and also
contributed to albums released by Mandoza, Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte.
Paradise Road
Not having a
clue what her favourite tipple was I asked a friend who said I should Google
something called a ‘Soweto Toilet’ so I did.
And here it is... I certainly hope it tastes more appetising than it
sounds!
SOWETO TOILET
1 tot Banana
Liqueur
2/3 tot Amarula
1/3 tot Crème de
Cacao
Pour the banana
liqueur into the bottom of a shot glass then using the back of a bar spoon,
slowly pour the Amarula so that it floats on top. Before serving, slowly drip the Crème de
Cacao into the shooter so that it will create a messy streak as it sinks. Bailey’s can also be substituted for the
Amarula.
The thought of
that being the only drink I post this month is a bit sad, so I've made up
something called a ‘Weekend Special’ that must be from very distant memories when I was a kid and dragged to Fiesta Land (common as fuck place in the North West province) every weekend to watch whichever musician groupie mother was dating at the time perform.
WEEKEND SPECIAL
2 tots or more
of the cheapest brandy you can get your hands on
Appletiser
Grandpa powders
or aspirin
Mix the brandy
and Appletiser in a tall glass over ice and enjoy. The grandpa powders are for the next morning,
preferably with a fry-up breakfast and some Lucozade to prevent you dying from
a hangover.
Ok. Enough fooling around. Like Ma Brrr, few things embody the Spirit of
Africa like Amarula, so here’s a juicy recipe I think she would have loved.
AMARULA COLADA
2 tots Amarula
1 tot white rum
3 tots pineapple
juice
1 tot coconut
cream
Blend
ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour into a tall glass over crushed
ice. Garnish with a slice of pineapple
and an umbrella if you’re feeling fancy.
‘I am a shocker.
I like to create controversy, it’s my trademark.’
~ Brenda
Nokuzola Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004)
Cheers Bitches!
- GGC
Weekend Special
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