Xhosa, formerly spelled Xosa and also known by its local name isiXhosa, is a Nguni language, indigenous to Southern Africa and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 10 million people and as a second language by another 10 million, mostly in South Africa, particularly in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng, and also in parts of Zimbabwe and Lesotho. It has perhaps the heaviest functional load of click consonants in a Bantu language, with one count finding that 10% of basic vocabulary items contained a click.
The South African music scene includes both popular (jive) and folk forms like Zulu isicathamiya singing and harmonic mbaqanga. Other popular genres are marabi, kwaito,house music, pop music, isicathamiya, gqom, rock music, hip hop and amapiano.
Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.
Bongi Makeba was a South African singer-songwriter. She was the only child of singer Miriam Makeba with her first husband, James Kubay.
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo is a Beninese-French singer-songwriter, actress and activist noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Kidjo was born into a family of performing artists. Her father was a musician, and her mother worked as a choreographer and theatre director. Kidjo has won five Grammy Awards. She is a 2023 Polar Music Prize laureate.
Xhosa music has long been a major part of the music of South Africa, especially in the field of jazz. Since olden times, singing has been a tradition and part of culture among the Xhosas.
Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony is a 2002 documentary film depicting the struggles of black South Africans against the injustices of Apartheid through the use of music. The film takes its name from the Zulu and Xhosa word amandla, which means power.
Lorraine Klaasen is a London, Ontario-based world music singer. Her mother was South African jazz singer Thandi Klaasen. She has performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and her international itinerary has included the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. She and her mother were also reputed to be two of Nelson Mandela's favorite musicians.
The Manhattan Brothers was a popular South African singing group in the 1940s and 1950s, during the Apartheid era. Their sound drew on American ragtime, jive, swing, doo-wop, and several other jazz strains, as well as African choral and Zulu harmonies. Members of the group included Nathan Dambuza Mdledle(leader and founder), Joe Mogotsi, Ronnie Sehume, Rufus Khoza,and Miriam Makeba. Makeba, who went on to international fame, started her career with The Manhattan Brothers and was part of the group for much of the 1950s. In the 1950s, the Manhattan Brothers chose as their backing band a musical group led by Mackay Davashe. Davashe was described as having a considerable influence on the Manhattan Brothers sound as a composer by bringing in African influences. 'General' Duze, a guitarist for the Manhattan Brothers, stated in 1987 that the band developed a unique, rather than imitative, sound during Davashe's tenure. The group had one US Billboard pop chart hit, "Lovely Lies", which peaked at number 45 in March 1956. The original Xhosa version of the song was written by Davashe. Its popularity led to requests for an English version, which became the first South African piece on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Pata Pata" is an Afro-pop dance song popularized internationally by South African singer Miriam Makeba. "Pata Pata" is credited to Makeba and Jerry Ragovoy. Her most popular recording of "Pata Pata" was recorded and released in the United States in 1967. The song is considered by many to be Makeba's signature hit and it has since been recorded by many artists.
Laura Kabasomi Kakoma, known on stage as Somi or Somi Kakoma, is a Grammy-nominated American-born singer, songwriter, playwright, and actor of Rwandan and Ugandan descent. Somi is the first African woman to be nominated for a Grammy Award in a Jazz category. She is also the first Rwandan or Ugandan to ever be nominated for a Grammy. She is also the first East African actor to perform on Broadway.
An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba is a Grammy Award-winning 1965 album by Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba, released by RCA Victor. It was the second outcome of the long lasting collaboration between Belafonte and Makeba, the first being the appearance of Makeba in the song "One More Dance" on Belafonte's 1960 album, Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall.
The Xhosa people, or Xhosa-speaking people are a Bantu ethnic group native to South Africa. They are the second largest ethnic group in South Africa and are native speakers of the IsiXhosa language.
Lerato Moipone Molapo, known professionally as Lira, is a South African singer. Her name translates to "love" in Sesotho and she speaks four languages. She is a multi-platinum selling and an 11-time South African Music Award (SAMA)-winning Afro-soul vocalist, who refers to her music as "a fusion of soul, funk, elements of jazz and African."
"Soweto Blues" is a protest song written by Hugh Masekela and performed by Miriam Makeba. The song is about the Soweto uprising that occurred in 1976, following the decision by the apartheid government of South Africa to make Afrikaans a medium of instruction at school. The uprising was forcefully put down by the police, leading to the death of between 176 and 700 people. The song was released in 1977 as part of Masekela's album You Told Your Mama Not to Worry. The song became a staple at Makeba's live concerts, and is considered a notable example of music in the movement against apartheid.
This is a discography of South African musician Miriam Makeba (1953-2008).
All About Miriam is the 1966 ninth studio album of Miriam Makeba Arrangements for the album were by Luchi DeJesus and Sivuca. Sivuca also played guitar. Harold Dodson played bass, and drummer was Leopoldo Flemming.
Reflections is the 2004 final studio album of Miriam Makeba. It won three prizes at the South African Music Awards in 2004.
Sing Me a Song is a 1994 album by Miriam Makeba. It was her first album recorded in South Africa, in a studio in Mmabatho, Bophuthatswana.
Nofinishi Dywili (1928–2002) was a traditional Xhosa musician who achieved much recognition throughout her lifetime. She is regarded as the master of "uhadi" music and the master of Xhosa song productions such as The Bow Project.
