A musical dream was shattered on Monday when Zimbabwean music star Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi’s promising son, Sam, was killed in an accident.

Sam had been the only one of Tuku’s children geared to keep the Mtukudzi music heritage alive.

But he and his sound engineer Owen Chimhare were killed instantly when they lost control of the Tata truck they were driving and rammed into a bridge railing some 20 kilometres outside Harare as they headed home to Norton, a small town 40 kilometres west of Harare.

Over the past few months, Sam had been on a rigorous grooming programme by his father.

The father and son combination had been holding a string of highly subscribed shows in which the master was taking the student to play at the places that he lit on his own way to the top.

As master Tuku was setting his eyes to retirement, having produced a massive 54 albums over three decades, there was no other passion for him than to let his son take over.

And, with his talent, Sam was Tuku’s living dream.

But Sam is now no more. He will not graduate into the Nzou (elephant), as Oliver is fondly referred to by his fans in Zimbabwe.

When news broke that had Sam died in a horrific car crash, many could not believe.

Many couldn’t help but recall the sorrowful lyrics of a song Tuku wrote a few years back and which Sam helped the father perform. The song Tiri Mubindu (We are in a Garden) is off Tuku’s rich album, Nhava.

This album, in fact, was Tuku’s turning point from his traditional guitar-based sound theme, and was made rich by the addition of a few more instruments such as the saxophone and xylophone, which Sam played.

The song, drawing parallels between human life and a flower garden, laments the passage of life, especially of those in their prime.

One of the verses translates as: “When the beautiful flower blooms. You wrench it off . . . Humans are like flowers in a garden.”

The song, powerful in its imagery is as prophetic as it is sad; a constant reminder of man’s mortality.

It aptly captures the untimely end of an extremely talented saxophonist, guitarist and vocalist who was poised to become great and possibly achieve the near impossible: fitting into his father’s gigantic shoes.

Sam was only 21 and the young man was due to release his second album, a 10-track composition tentatively titled Cheziya (born of hard work) at his 22nd birthday next month.

Also in the offing was a live DVD album performed and recorded at 7 Arts Theatre, in Harare where he had teamed up with his father and another young sensation, Sulumani Chimbetu, the son of another Zimbabwean star Simon Chimbetu.

In May, Sam was planning to tour Germany on his own.

He had only one album to his name — Rume Rimwe — a solo project he hoped would catapult him from the shadow of his legendary father.

The 12-track album received generous and well-deserved airplay with such tracks as Wadzanai, Tibatane and Rume Rimwe endearing him to Tuku Music fans who had no qualms in supporting both father and son.

Playing both his favoured saxophone and the acoustic guitar, he had become a regular feature in jazz joints and at festivals and corporate functions around Zimbabwe.

Apart from performing at Harare venues like Mannenburg, Jazz 105, Sports Diner, Pamuzinda and Extra Mile, Sam took his talents down South where he performed at the Cape Town Jazz Festival with his father in 2008.

The same year he also re-launched "Rume Rimwe" in South Africa.

Born on April 1, 1988 in Kwekwe, about 200 km west of Harare, Samson Munyaradzi Mtukudzi was educated at Fitchley Primary School before moving to Dudley Primary School in Norton.

The music that has earned the hearts of those that have had the chance to listen began as a four-year old’s adventure in Kwekwe.

Considering he was only four years old and the only instrument he could find was his father’s guitar he had no option but to become a self trained guitarist. At age 10 after seeing him perform at an annual school concert for the first time, Sam acquired his first guitar given to him by his father.

He was enrolled into Prince Edward High school in Harare three years later where he began to develop himself in various musical directions .His theory was widened as he also learnt several other instruments namely marimba (xylophone), mbira, drums, saxophone, bass guitar, electric (lead) guitar etc. This is where the decision to make music his career came after realising that music was not only his love or hobby but also a passion that he wished to develop.

He distinguished himself as a versatile instrumentalist, playing the saxophone and guitar, apart from being a talented vocalist. He was on record as saying he didn’t want to be "sticking under my father’s shadow, I want to build my own (music) empire. First and foremost I want to be Sam before I am son of Oliver Mtukudzi".

Sam participated in major festivals internationally such as Zimbabwe’s Harare International Festival of the Arts, Winter jazz festival, Victoria Falls International jazz festival and South Africa’s Cape town International jazz festival, and the Jo’burg International jazz festival.

Other countries where he has taken his talent to include Zambia, Malawi, United Kingdom, Mozambique, Kenya, Canada, United States of America, Lesotho, Swaziland, Nigeria, and Ireland.

This exposure led him to sharing the stage with such luminaries as his father Oliver, Jimmy Dludlu, Sakala Brothers, Mashia Moyo, Hugh Masekela, Malaika, Lucky Dube, Alick Macheso, UB 40, Steve Dyer, Chiwoniso Maraire, Steve Makoni, Dudu Manhenga, Ben Micheals, Max Wild ( US ), Louis Mhlanga (US ), Manhattan Brothers (US), Sergio Mendes (Brazil), and Raul ( US ).

Sam had ventured into acting, after making his debut in a short film titled Chipo Changu that premiered to critical acclaim at the Zimbabwe International Film Festival in 2006.

It is a cruel twist of fate that a man in his prime like Tuku will be looked up to for remembrance of so young a man and not vice versa.

For the memory of young Sam, Zimbabweans will have to be content with looking at the elder Mtukudzi with whom he bore a striking physical resemblance with his facial appearance and the gangly strides.

He and his sound engineer Owen were buried side by side on Wednesday.

Maybe the great band in Heaven now has a very talented new recruit.