Kum-A-Kye

"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]

BSAP emblem

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 predominantly 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]