true jit: the purchase of a house

Our agreement with Gordon Muir was that he would take 20% for his job and we would take 80% as a band. It was entirely up to us to decide what to do with our 80%. But to our surprise, when we broke a recording deal with Warner Brothers, he changed his colours. He wanted to buy himself a house in London, but his 20% was not enough. So he hatched a plan that would result in him taking most of our money: he suggested that we - as a band - buy a house. I refused to go along with this: I felt that we needed to buy our own houses back home in Zimbabwe, because most of us were still living with our parents.

Knowing how strong my views were, he took David and Shakey aside, and stuffed them with his ideas for why we should buy the house. This resulted in a split decision amongst ourselves as a band: David and Shakey wanted to buy the house but Kenny, Biggie and I didn't. A vote was cast, with Gordon joining as the sixth member, and the vote went to a tie.

I argued that the money should be split and whoever wanted to join the house scheme with Gordon could do so with his own share. Gordon was disappointed, and so he took Biggie for a drink. The next day, Biggie sold us out, and joined those in favour of the house. Kenny and I still wanted our share, but we were denied.

The house was bought, costing around £95,000. Half of that was paid for using some of our earnings from the record deal, and the rest was paid for by taking out a mortgage. We hardly lived there at all because most of the time we would be on tour. Gordon decided that his brother-in-law should look after the house while we were away.

A year and a half later, when returning from a tour one day, we were told that the house has been liquidated by the mortgage company. We found ourselves outside the house which we were meant to believe was ours. All our belongings had been sold and each of us was given £5. We received no warning, by letter or from Gordon, that the house would be liquidated. Yet, at those times, we were working hard as a band, often playing to sell-out gigs. I was very angry and frustrated at Gordon, whom I had always suspected of buying the house for himself. And I was angry also at the other three, who at last realised that what I had said all along was true. But we could do nothing.

From this point on, the band became divided. I, as a band leader, found my decisions were being ignored. Biggie started pulling everything to himself, and there was no more sharing of ideas as a band. I began to I realise that Gordon and Biggie were sharing a secret. David and Shakie were to find out that they had been led astray.