Soweto Gospel Choir | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Soweto, South Africa |
Genres | Gospel |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Shanachie |
Website | www |
The Soweto Gospel Choir is a South African gospel group.
The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed in Soweto, South Africa, by David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, and producers Andrew Kay, David Vigo and Cliff Hocking in 2002. [1] The more than 30-member ensemble blends elements of African gospel, Negro spirituals, reggae and American popular music. The group performed at the first of the 46664 concerts for Nelson Mandela and has since toured internationally several times.
Their albums Blessed,African Spirit and Freedom won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2006, 2007 and 2019, respectively. [2]
On 7 July 2007 they performed at the South African leg of Live Earth. Also in 2007, they joined Robert Plant in contributing to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records), performing their version of Domino's "Valley of Tears".
The group was featured on the Peter Gabriel/Thomas Newman song "Down to Earth", written for Pixar's 2008 feature film WALL-E . The song was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 66th Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards.[ citation needed ]
The group performed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup final draw on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa. [3]
In 2010, composer Christopher Tin's song "Baba Yetu", which featured the group, won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). The song had originally been produced for Firaxis Games's 2005 videogame Civilization IV , but Tin enlisted the Soweto Gospel Choir to re-record the song for inclusion on his debut album, Calling All Dawns , leading to the song's nomination and award. This marked the first time a video game composition had won or been nominated for the category.[ citation needed ]
The group collaborates with American publishing company MusicSpoke to publish transcriptions of a number of its pieces, including "Balm of Gilead", "Hloholonofatsa", "Ke Na Le Modisa", "Khumbaya", "Shosholoza", "Somlandela" and "Swing Down Sweet Chariot".[ citation needed ] They appear on Peter Gabriel's tenth studio album, I/O —on its title track, "Road to Joy" and "Live and Let Live". [4]
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual ceremony presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2024 | History of House | Best World Music Album | Nominated | [8] |
The 19th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 19, 1977, and were broadcast live on American television (CBS). It was the seventh and final year Andy Williams hosted the telecast. The ceremony recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1976.
The 37th Annual Grammy Awards were presented on March 1, 1995, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Bruce Springsteen was the night's biggest winner with 4 awards, including Song of the Year while opening the show with his Grammy nominated hit.
"Shosholoza" is an Nguni song that was sung by the mixed tribes of gold miners in South Africa. It is a mix of Zulu and Ndebele words, and can have various other South African languages thrown in depending on the singers. It was sung by all-male African workers that were performing rhythmical manual labour in the South African mines in a call and response style. The song is so popular in South African culture that it is often referred to as South Africa's second national anthem.
The 35th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1993 and recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The nominations were announced on January 7, 1993. The evening's host was the American stand-up comedian Garry Shandling, who hosted the ceremony for the third time. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
The 29th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1987, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.
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Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey–based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word seanchaí, an Irish storyteller.
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"Baba Yetu" is the theme song for the 2005 video game Civilization IV. It was composed by Christopher Tin and performed by Ron Ragin and the Stanford Talisman. For its re-release in Tin's debut album Calling All Dawns, it was performed by the Soweto Gospel Choir. The song, when rereleased, became the first piece of video game music to be nominated for and to win a Grammy Award.
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"Down to Earth" is a song co-written and performed by English rock musician Peter Gabriel for the 2008 animated Disney-Pixar film WALL·E. It was released on June 10, 2008, by Walt Disney Records and Real World Records. Composed by Gabriel and Thomas Newman, with lyrics by Gabriel, and featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir, the song is the 37th song on the soundtrack album to WALL·E, in which it is featured over the end credits.
Batsogile Lovederia "Rebecca" Malope is a South African gospel singer. She is known as "The Queen of Gospel." Her music career spans more than three decades. She has sold at least 10 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time. Most of the 36 albums she has released have reached multi-platinum status.
"Oh Africa" is a song performed by the artist Akon featuring Keri Hilson from the compilation Listen Up! The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album. The song is a charity single and was released to raise funds for Akon's charity 'Konfidence' to aid underprivileged children in Africa. The song was released as a digital download on 52nd Grammy Awards night, January 31, 2010, along with the video. The Soweto Gospel Choir and young singers from many countries are also featured on the single. The footballers Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Kaká, Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Andrei Arshavin make cameo appearances in the music video.
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