BSAP emblem
"Kum-A-Kye" or "The Kum A Kye Song" is a Rhodesian song and military march, written in 1939 by Sergeant Max Sparks,[1] that was adopted as the regimental march of the Rhodesian British South Africa Police (BSAP) between 1947 and 1980.[2]
History[]
The chorus of "Kum-A-Kye" is based upon the 19th-century American campfire song " The Old Chisholm Trail", which was brought to Southern Rhodesia by two cowboys familiar with the Texan Chisholm Trail, who had joined the British South Africa Police.[3] In 1939, the BSAP asked Sergeant Sparks to create a military band for them. Sparks did so by bringing together a number of policemen as musicians and wrote the music to "Kum-A-Kye" for the police band to play as a march.[1] In preparation for King George VI's royal tour of Southern Africa in 1947, "Kum-A-Kye" was formally adopted as the regimental march of the BSAP.[2] It was predominately played as a marching tune only, with the lyrics often not being known by the policemen in the force.[4] In 1955 during Southern Rhodesia's time as part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the BSAP released an LP album of regimental music entitled Kum-A-Kye after their regimental march.[5] In 1980, the BSAP was disbanded and replaced by the Zimbabwe Republic Police following Rhodesia's reconstitution as Zimbabwe.
In 2011, Northern Rhodesian-born John Edmond released "Kum-A-Kye" as part of his All Time Rhodesian Evergreens album.[6] The lyrics that he set to the tune are based upon the "Polly Wolly Doodle" American folk song.[7][8]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tanser, G.H. (1967). Rhodesian Panorama. Steytler,. p. 111. OCLC 2005335.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gibbs, Peter (2000). The history of the British South Africa Police, 1889–1980 (2 ed.). Something of Value. p. 244. ISBN 064640119X.
- ↑ "Stand-To Rhodesia". Rhodesia.me.uk. http://www.rhodesia.me.uk/Stand-To.htm. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
- ↑ Lemon, David M.H. (2006). Never quite a soldier: A Rhodesian Policeman's War, 1971–1982 (2 ed.). Galago Books. p. 27. ISBN 1919854215.
- ↑ "Kum-A-Kye" (in English) (LP). Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland: Brigadiers Publishing. 1955. "The Regimental March of the B.S.A. Police"
- ↑ "John Edmond – All Time Rhodesian Evergreens Album". Songlyrics.com. http://www.songlyrics.com/john-edmond/all-time-rhodesian-evergreens/. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
- ↑ "I went down south". Hymnary.org. http://hymnary.org/text/o_i_went_down_south. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
- ↑ "All Time Rhodesian Evergreens by John Edmond". Itunes. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/all-time-rhodesian-evergreens/id527055089. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
The original article can be found at Kum-A-Kye and the edit history here.