About 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, to release his own music under. 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. John mastered the instrument within half an hour. While at school in Edinburgh, he was chosen to sing in the St John's Boys' Choir. He reached the height of his fame during the Rhodesian Bush War, when he was sometimes known as the "Bush Cat".
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.