10 things you didn’t know about Jose Chameleone
1. His name Dr Jose Chameleone stems from a firm belief that he is the doctor of Ugandan music.
2. He married one of Uganda’s popular socialites Daniella Atim and has two children.
3. His first born son Abba, 12, is already a recording musician.
4. In March this year, he became the first East African artiste to hold the largest concert in Uganda, where he had more than 40,000 people in attendance at Lugogo Cricket Oval.
5. In July 2012, his passport was confiscated by a Tanzanian promoter Eric Shigongo, who said Chameleone had conned him $3,500. He had to get temporary travel documents to get out of Tanzania.
6. Chameleone’s first song ‘Bagea’, a collaboration with Kenya’s Redsan, was first played on the then Metro FM, unmastered, after most producers refused to master it. It became an instant hit.
7. In 2006, he disappeared from a show in Mombasa at Mamba Night Club, just 15 minutes before going on stage, leaving his fans disappointed. He mysteriously left Kenya the same night.
8. In the mid-2000s, Chameleone was dating a Belgian, Onsea Griet, whom he christened ‘Dorotia’ in one of his songs. He was banned from travelling out of East Africa due to unconfirmed drugs-related charges. The ban was later lifted.
9. He discovered and nurtured popular Ugandan stars Radio and Weasel, among many others.
10. On December 18 this year, he intends to break Uganda’s events record by charging USh1 million (about Sh33,000) per head as gate charges for his show at Serena Hotel in Kampala.