Tony Bird

Tony Bird is a folk rock singer-cum-songwriter who was born and bred in Nyasaland (now Malawi). The artist shot to stardom with his ‘Dylanesque’ vocals let alone his songs that describe life in colonial Nyasaland from a progressive anti-colonial point of view. His debut solo performance was at the Space Theatre in Cape Town where he received good publicity owing to his unique African style. His popular track, ‘Sorry Africa’ gave him credit as one of the first white African folk singers to surface out of the cauldron of southern Africa's apartheid, colonial and post-colonial era.

Based in New York since 1980, Tony Bird has played the international folk tour since the early '70s, including established folk festivals in England, Europe, Canada and the US. Originally pegged as a southern African folk singer upon his arrival to these shores, he has grown into a diverse and modern international songwriter of the times. The ‘Sorry Africa’ star recorded two albums in the 70s and made a comeback with a CD ‘Sorry Africa’ that he released in 1990 on Rounder Records in the USA, Mountain Records in Europe and Africa that comprised of the hit song ‘Mango Time’. Tony Bird has travelled with artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the 1980s.