John Edmond

John Edmond, also known as the "Bush Cat", (born 18 November 1936) is a Rhodesian and South African musician and former soldier. Edmond's musical career began in the late 1950's and early 1960's. 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, South Africa in the mid-1960's, 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 UDI 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 arguably his most well-known album Troopiesongs in 1976, which is known for being 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 a mine in Northern Rhodesia and 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 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 and as such, Edmond and his immediate family split their time between Edinburgh, Scotland and Luanshya during his childhood. As a teenager, Edmond received further education at the Christian Brothers' College in Pretoria, South Africa. Edmond displayed a natural talent for music at an early age when he 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 local Roan Antelope copper mine for a time. 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. During this time, he bought a guitar at a trading store and met Bill Coleman while in the army. After learning to play the guitar with Coleman, Edmond formed the Bushcats Skiffle Group in 1958 along with two friends from the army, Eugene van der Watt and Ian Kerr. The group succeeded among its peers and progressed into cabaret and rock 'n' roll. 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 UDI Song". After the war and Zimbabwean independence, he 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". The resort is located in the Bela Bela area. Edmond also has his record label, Roan Antelope Music (RAM). 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 State President of the South African Republic Paul Kruger, Zulu Kingdom king Shaka kaSenzangakhona, better known as Shaka or Shaka Zulu, legendary folk hero and farmer Wolraad Woltemade, and anti-apartheid leader and former South African president Nelson Mandela. Edmond released his 50th album, Tales of the Birdwatchers. Clem Tholet "Exclusive: Interview with Rhodesian singer/songwriter John Edmond". thecornellreview.org. 6 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) Otto-Moudry, Quinn (6 October 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Rhodesian singer/songwriter John Edmond". The Cornell Review. Retrieved 7 December 2025. Edmond, John (1982). The story of Troopiesongs and the Rhodesian Bush War. Johannesburg: Roan Antelope Music. p. 50. OCLC 18508621. "John's Biography | John Edmond – legend campfires zambia zululand Walvis Bay Vilanculos Singer songwriter entertainer storyteller author bush pilot musical career 60's 70's pop country TV 7 smash South Africa hits". johnedmond.co.za. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2021. "Welcome to | John Edmond – singer songwriter entertainer storyteller light-hearted tragic children outdoors wildlife aviators pop love autobiography". johnedmond.co.za. Archived from the original on 2 April 2025. "index.jpg". www.kunkuru.co.za. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Worley, Terry (17 October 2014). "Legendary singer, songwriter John Edmond in Dundee". Northern Natal News. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024. willienel (20 September 2018). "John Edmond released 50th music album". Die Pos. Retrieved 7 December 2025.