Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a chorus from South Africa that is noted for singing a cappella isicathamiya and mbube music. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland.

History

Ladysmith Black Mambazo was formed as a result of a dream that Joseph Shabalala had in 1964, in which he heard particular harmonies. He recruited friends and family to form the group, and taught them the harmonies he had heard. The group entered and won many singing contests. They were so good that they were eventually forbidden to enter the competitions but were welcomed to entertain at them. Although they had been recognised as an isicathamiya group in 1964, they had been singing together since the early 1950s. The group has become a mobile academy, teaching people about South Africa and its culture.

1960-1986

Shabalala formed the first incarnation of Ladysmith Black Mambazo in December 1960; Ezimnyama Ngenkani (The Black Ones) was founded and Shabalala began teaching them various harmonies. The members of the group were relatives (mostly brothers and cousins) of Shabalala, with many having sung with him whilst he was growing up on the farm where he was born. Although the group did sing well together and captured the sound of cothoza mfana (tip toe boys, a 1960s slang term for isicathamiya) and mbube groups of the time, they were, for the most part, unknown outside of Ladysmith.

In late 1964, Shabalala had a series of dreams (whilst he was asleep) that spanned over six months, in which he saw a choir of singers, singing in perfect harmony. Whilst his current group had not achieved this sound, Joseph reformed the group as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and taught them the harmonies from his dream.

The name of the group is derived in the following manner:

"Ladysmith" is the hometown of the Shabalala family
"Black" refers to the black ox, considered to be the strongest on the farm
"Mambazo" means axe in the Zulu language; symbolic of the group's ability to "chop down" the other competition

Shabalala entered the group into isicathamiya competitions, which were held on Saturday nights in the cities of areas like Durban and Johannesburg. The group became so good and won nearly every competition that was held; eventually in 1973, by which time the group had become professional, they were allowed to perform, but forbidden to compete with the other choirs.Erlmann, V: "Nightsong", page 291-92. The University of Chicago Press, 1996

In 1967, they began to make recordings over the radio for Radio Zulu, and popular demand by fans and followers brought about a recording contract by West Nkosi, a member of the Makgona Tsohle Band and a music producer at Gallo Record Company, in 1972. The group accepted, and the group released their first album the following year; Amabutho, received gold status (the first album by a black musician in South Africa to do so). The albums that followed also received gold and even platinum disc certification.Erlmann, V: "Nightsong", page 293. The University of Chicago Press, 1996

In 1975, Shabalala converted to Christianity and the group released their first religious release, Ukukhanya Kwelanga. The album sold well enough for it to earn a double platinum disc award, and the songs in the Mambazo repertoire were shuffled to one side to include many Christian and Methodist (amongst others) hymns. One of the most popular of these releases was Ukusindiswa (1976), which has since been re-released in 2002. By 1981, the group had become well-known throughout South Africa, and was allowed to travel abroad to Cologne, Germany. The group toured and appeared on television, and also learned some of the German language; their release Phansi Emgodini (1981) included the group singing in German on the track Wir Grüssen Euch Alle. The following year, the group traveled back to Germany to appear on television during a quiz event, and this brought about requests for live appearances.

1986-1994

In 1985, Paul Simon travelled to South Africa in the hope of collaborating with black musicians for his Graceland album. Simon then asked the group to work with him on the album, and so they travelled to London to record tracks for the recording; the first, Homeless, was composed by Shabalala (with English lyrics by Simon), and has now become synonymous with the group. In February 1986, the group released Ezulwini Siyakhona; the liner notes of the record includes references to Paul Simon's encounters with the group. Graceland itself was released in May of that year, and although both Joseph Shabalala and Paul Simon were accused of breaking the cultural boycott of South Africa, the album was a success and introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo into the international arena. This also paved the way for other African acts like Stimela and Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens to gain popularity amongst Western audiences.

After Graceland, Simon acted as producer on three records for the group aimed at the American market, Shaka Zulu (1987), Journey of Dreams (1988) and Two Worlds, One Heart (1990). On the latter album, the group recorded with performers such as The Winans, Julia Fordham, George Clinton, among others. But despite this success, tragedy occurred in 1991: on the night of December 10, Joseph's brother and one of the bass members in the group, Headman Shabalala, was shot and killed by Sean Nicholas, a white off-duty security guard. His death was considered to be a racial killing, and Joseph stopped singing. But eventually, helped by his beliefs, he returned to singing and recruited four of his six sons into the group in 1993 (following the retirement of another three members; see Membership for details).

1994-2003

The abolition of Apartheid in South Africa and the election of the first black president, Nelson Mandela, brought about the group's first release since 1991; Liph' Iqiniso was, all in all, a celebration of the end of Apartheid.

In 1993, at the request of Nelson Mandela, Black Mambazo accompanied the future President of South Africa to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Mambazo sang again at President Mandela's inauguration in May 1994.

In 1998, the group recorded a special version of Inkanyezi Nezazi (The Star and the Wiseman) for a series of advertisements in Britain for Heinz. The adverts proved so popular that the group released the original 1992 version as a single; this was followed up by a Best of... release which was certified triple platinum, selling 1 million copies in Britain alone. The single reached #2 in the UK Pop Charts. They have since traveled the world and have recorded with performers such as Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, The Winans, Julia Fordham, George Clinton, B*Witched, The Corrs, Ben Harper and many more and performing for Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and the British royal family among many others.

Tragedy has returned, however, with the killing of Shabalala's wife Nellie, in May 2002; Shabalala was injured in the hand when trying to protect her. The killing occurred during the recording of the group's album Wenyukela; because of this, the album had a solemn and poignant touch to it. Many songs had a moral theme to them, such as Wenza Ngani? (How Did You Do That?), which spoke of racism between black and white people; Fak' Ibhande (Don't Drink and Drive), which warned of the dangers of drinking alcohol and driving; and the title track, Wenyukela, which spoke of the resurrection of Jesus and how South Africans were nearly misled into killing each other during the 1994 elections.Shabalala, J: "Wenyukela", liner notes. Gallo Record Company, 2003

2003-present

The success of Wenyukela in South Africa prompted its release in Britain in March 2003 on Wrasse Records. Following the repeated success of the album, the American-based Headsup International released the album in January 2004. In addition to the standard version, Headsup released the album in the Hybrid SACD format. The US release reportedly sold 6 million copies ^* and the group won their second Grammy Award for the album. Following this, they embarked on a tour of the US which spanned over three months.

The group returned to Headsup with their 2005 release, No Boundaries. The album was a collaboration between the group and the English Chamber Orchestra and featured many classical standards (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Ave Verum Corpus) and Mambazo tunes (Homeless, Awu, Wemadoda, Ngingenwe Emoyeni). Despite initial worry about European traditions and Zulu folklore, the album did sell very well and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

On their latest release, Long Walk to Freedom, the group recorded with artists from both the US and South Africa: Zap Mama, Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, Joe McBride, Natalie Merchant, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Lucky Dube, Phuzekhemisi, Bhekumuzi Luthuli, Nokukhanya, Thandiswa, Vusi Mahlasela and Hugh Masekela. To support the promotion of the album and their new tour, Mambazo appeared on various television and radio programmes throughout January and February 2006. The group has also started a street team; this is currently exclusive to fans in the US and Canada The group also wished of working with Paul Simon once more, twenty years on since Graceland [http://video.msn.com/v/en-gb/v.htm?g=9369ef11-2fe7-4ce0-abbf-154bffc6af8a.

The Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation

In January 1999, Joseph Shabalala founded The Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation. The aim of the organisation is to teach young Zulu South African children about their traditional culture and music; isicathamiya. Today, the Mambazo Academy is currently being built, with plans for a rehearsal hall, teaching areas and a professional recording studio. The main aim, of course, is to promote and teach the history of isicathamiya music to youngsters.

Awards and Nominations

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, like many other artists, have been acknowledged in such prestigious award ceremonies like the Grammy Awards and Academy Awards. In 1988, the group received their first Grammy Award for the album Shaka Zulu, which was their first US release. Since then, they have won one more, and have been nominated eight additional times.

*Awards*
1981	S.A.R.I.E. Award	Best Choral Group on Disc
1988	Grammy Award	Best Traditional Folk Recording	Shaka Zulu
1993	Drama Desk Award	Best Original Music Score	The Song of Jacob Zulu (stage)
1996	Drama Desk Award	Best Original Music Score	Nomathemba (stage)
1997	S.A.M.A. Award	Best Zulu Music Album	Ukuzala-Ukuzelula
1997	S.A.M.A. Award	Best Duo or Group Award	Ukuzala-Ukuzelula
2001	S.A.M.A. Award	Best Zulu Music Album	Lihl' Ixhiba Likagogo
2005	Grammy Award	Best Traditional World Music Album	Raise Your Spirit Higher
*Nominations*
1991	Grammy Award	Best Traditional World Music Album	Classic Tracks
1993	Grammy Award	Best Traditional World Music Album	Best of - Vol. 1
1995	Grammy Award	Best Traditional World Music Album	Liph' Iqiniso
1995	Grammy Award	Best Traditional World Music Album	Gift of the Tortoise
1996	Grammy Award	Best Traditional World Music Album	Thuthukani Ngoxolo
1998	Grammy Award	Best Contemporary World Music Album	Heavenly
1999	Grammy Award	Best Traditional World Music Album	Live at the Royal Albert Hall
2001	Academy Award	Best Short Documentary Film	On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom
2002	Emmy Award	Best Cultural Documentary	On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom
2006	Grammy Award	Best Contemporary World Music Album	No Boundaries

Touring

The competitions and the first Mambazo concerts

After the release of the group's first album in 1973, they were banned from competing in the isicathamiya competitions because of their ability to win many of the competition. They were, however, welcome to perform for the audience. Following this, the group started performing for their own audiences in shows that were specially made - and soon afterwards, the group began touring around South Africa in their own concerts, but were stopped by police guards on many occasions; on some of these they were even made to lie down on the ground whilst being searched. Shortly afterwards, they were allowed to tour without permits.

The Graceland success

By 1986, the group had a very small number of white fans in South Africa; the majority of their fanbase was comprised of black people (the group mainly toured in townships). After Paul Simon included the group on his Graceland Tour of 1987, the group began touring by themselves and became very widely popular. They have visited Europe, USA, and Asia, amongst others. The group is quite possibly more well-known in the USA (due to the Graceland success and various advert campaigns for 7-Up and LifeSavers candy) and the UK (again, because of the Graceland success, and several successful advertisements for Heinz).

Today

The group usually tours for three months before returning to South Africa (usually during the Christmas holiday). Altogether, the tours span nine to ten months each year. The group finished a four-month tour of the US in April 2006, and a follow-up 30-date tour of the UK (from May 5 through to June 10), with the Mbaqanga trio Mahotella Queens as their support act. Mambazo will tour the summer (from 9 July) with concerts in the US, Australia and New Zealand, ending in October 2006. In January 2007, the group will commence a three-month tour of the US ^*.

Membership

Initially, the group was formed of Joseph Shabalala, his brothers Headman and Enoch, cousins Albert, Milton, Funokwakhe, Abednego and Joseph Mazibuko as well as close friends Matovoti Msimanga and Walter Malinga. Altogether, the group has had 30 different members at one point or another over the past forty-five years. However, through it all, founder Joseph Shabalala continues to lead the group in the recording studio and on stage.

Even though the early line-ups of the group contained a large amount of relatives from Shabalala's family (and, from 1969, his cousins from the Mazibuko family), most of the members that arrived in the group after the mid-1970's were recruited for their professional qualities. After alto voice Milton Mazibuko was tragically killed in 1980, the group spent quite a few months 'off', until returning the following year with two new members, Inos Phungula and Geophrey Mdletshe. After Shabalala's younger brother Headman was murdered on December 10, 1991 (and the departure of Phungula, Mdletshe and Ben Shabalala - who was also killed in 2004), the group stopped singing for a while before Joseph recruited four of his six sons. In the 1970's, the group's original six members had been joined by many other men (most of whom only stayed with them for the recording sessions). Joseph Shabalala's sons joined the group in 1993, moving up from Ladysmith Black Mambazo's junior choir, Mshengu White Mambazo.

The members of the group currently reside in Kloof, just outside of the coastal city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal - though due to their heavy work schedule and appearances, the group only spends a few weeks at home (usually during the Christmas - and other - seasons). The chorus' members are Joseph Shabalala; his sons Msizi, Thulani, Thamsanqa, and Sibongiseni; cousins Albert and Abednego Mazibuko; and close friend Russel Mthembu. Jabulani Dubazana, a member of the group since 1975, retired from international touring in September 2004. Long-time member Jockey Shabalala died at his home in Ladysmith, South Africa on February 11, 2006 from various ailments at the age of 62, having been a member of his brother's group for almost forty years.

Discography

Ladysmith Black Mambazo first recorded in 1973 on the Gallo label in South Africa. Since then, they have cut over fifty albums. Many of them have received gold and/or platinum disc certification.

Notes

References

External links

Ladysmith Black Mambazo | Ladysmith Black Mambazo | Ladysmith Black Mambazo

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