Wells Fargo Watch Out!: Rock and Revolution in 70's Zimbabwe

Just as the hippie era came to an end in the US, a second '60s was beginning. In what is now Zimbabwe, young people created a rock'n'roll counterculture that drew inspiration from hippie ideals and the sounds of Hendrix. The kids in the scene called their music heavy because they could feel its impact; the country was called Rhodesia then, one of the last bastions of white colonialism in Africa, and heavy rockers defied segregation laws and secret police to make a stand for democratic change. Wells Fargo was at the forefront of the scene and their album's title song, Wells Fargo, was the anthem of the counterculture. This is the first time their music has been issued outside of Zimbabwe. Matthew Shechmeister tells the band's story, drawing on interviews with the remaining members and numerous trips to Zimbabwe to investigate the genesis and dissipation of the scene. Never before seen photos and ephemera color a story so hard to believe that it has to be true.