The South African music scene includes both popular (jive) and folk forms like Zulu isicathamiya singing and harmonic mbaqanga. South Africa has a global music industry.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards, dedicating their fifth Grammy to the late former President Nelson Mandela.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube" for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in Zulu, while the English version's lyrics were written by George David Weiss. The song was adapted and covered internationally by many pop and folk revival artists in the 1950s and 1960s, including Henri Salvador, the Weavers, Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Miriam Makeba, and the Kingston Trio. In 1961, it became a number one hit in the United States as adapted in English with the best-known version by the doo-wop group the Tokens. It went on to earn millions in royalties from cover versions and film licensing. The pop group Tight Fit had a number one hit in the UK with the song in 1982.
Mbube is a form of South African vocal music, made famous by the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The word mbube means "lion" in Zulu. Traditionally performed a cappella, the members of the group are male although a few groups have a female singer. In this form, groups of voices singing homophonically in rhythmic unison are employed to create intricate harmonies and textures.
Isicathamiya is a singing style that originated from the South African Zulus. In European understanding, a cappella is also used to describe this form of singing.
Joseph Shabalala, born Bhekizizwe Joseph Siphatimandla Mxoveni Mshengu Bigboy Shabalala, was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Msizi Innocent Shabalala is a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 by his father Joseph Shabalala.
Jabulani Frederick Mwelase Dubazana was a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 - and still led - by close friend Joseph Shabalala.
Amabutho is the 1973 debut release by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, recorded for Gallo Record Company. Amabutho sold over 25,000 copies in South Africa, and was the first record by black musicians in the country to receive gold disc certification. Amabutho featured the hit single "Nomathemba", as well as other signature tunes such as "Nkosi Yamakhosi" and "Awu, Wemadoda" The LP was reissued on Gallo along with most of the group's early output, in February 2007.
Gallo Record Company is the largest record label in South Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Tiso Blackstar Group. The current Gallo Record Company is a hybrid of two rival South African record labels between the 1940s and 1980s: the original Gallo Africa (1926–85) and G.R.C.. In 1985 Gallo Africa acquired G.R.C.; as a result, Gallo Africa became known as Gallo-GRC. Five years after the acquisition, the company was renamed Gallo Record Company.
This is a near-complete list of recordings made by the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Amaqhawe was the sixth studio release by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The album included songs such as "Ngi Boniseleni", which was later re-recorded as "Yibo Labo" on the album Shaka Zulu.
Shaka was the leader of the Zulu Kingdom in the early 19th century.
Shaka Zulu is a 1987 album by South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Isak Roux is a South African born German composer born in 1959. He is known for his arrangements of South African music, especially his work with the musical groups Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Kwela Tebza.
Heads Up International is a jazz record label that was formed in Cleveland, Ohio. It was bought by the Concord Music Group in 2005.
My Dream – African Sounds is a 2008 release by the South African groups Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the SABC Choir. It was released on 30 September 2008. The album is a collaboration of both isicathamiya and choral music.
"Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the fourth single from his seventh studio album, Graceland (1986), released on Warner Bros. Records. The song features guest vocals from the South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
"Homeless" is a 1986 song by Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo lead singer Joseph Shabalala.
Always With Us is a 2014 album by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The album, released on 15 January 2014, is a tribute to the life of the group's matriarch Nellie Shabalala (1953-2002), the late wife of Mambazo leader Joseph Shabalala. It is also only the second album in the group's 50-year career to feature female Zulu vocalists singing alongside the male members.
