"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.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with American Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. They have since won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards the fifth of which they dedicated to the late former South African President Nelson Mandela.
46664 was a series of AIDS benefit concerts played in honour of Nelson Mandela by South African and foreign musicians between 2003 and 2008.
Bright Blue was a South African band that was prominent on the progressive scene in the final years of apartheid. The band's name "reflected the paradox of being bright in a very blue time" but was also a tribute to Chelsea FC.
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.
The Bassline live music venue and club was established in 1994 in the Melville neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa. The venue closed in 2003 and reopened the following year in the downtown Newtown Cultural Precinct, featuring a concert venue with a capacity of 1000 and a performing space with 150 seats. In its 24-year history, Bassline hosted over 3200 concerts featuring many emerging music acts and well-known South African, African, and global music icons.
Awake is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Groban. Announced on September 13, 2006, it is his third studio album, and a follow-up to his multi-platinum album Closer. Awake was released on November 7, 2006.
When You Come Back is Vusi Mahlasela's debut album.
Naledi Ya Tsela, is Vusi Mahlasela's sixth studio album. Songs on the album are sung in five languages: English, Sepedi, Sesotho, isiZulu, and seTswana. There also a number of guest singers, including Dave Matthews and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and many other guest performers - whose contributions are not listed in the tracks only in the liner notes.
Louis Mhlanga is a Zimbabwean artist based in South Africa, an award-winning guitarist and producer. Mhlanga taught himself to play the guitar at a young age and is considered one of the best Southern African guitarists.
Thandiswa Nyameka Mazwai is a South African musician, and is also the lead vocalist and songwriter of Bongo Maffin. She is also known as King Tha.
"Weeping" is an anti-apartheid protest song written by Dan Heymann in the mid-1980s, and first recorded by Heymann and the South African group Bright Blue in 1987. The song was a pointed response to the 1985 State of Emergency declared by President P.W. Botha, which resulted in "large-scale killings of unarmed and peaceful demonstrators against racial discrimination and segregation in South Africa." Defiantly, the song incorporated part of the melody to Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, the anthem of the anti-apartheid African National Congress. "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" was banned at the time, and inclusion of even the melody violated the law. Today, "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" is part of the national anthem of South Africa. The formerly illegal lyrics—"Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo"—are now often sung when "Weeping" is recorded or performed.
Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3: Africa Sessions is an album by banjoist Béla Fleck. Nicknamed "Throw Down Your Heart" after one of the songs, the album is actually a soundtrack for a film of the same name, released by Docurama Films, which he produced, about travelling through Africa, recording with many musicians from that continent as he searched for the origins of the banjo.
Iyeoka Okoawo is an American singer and poet, recording artist, singer, activist, educator and TEDGlobal Fellow. Her music includes elements from soul, R&B, rock, hip hop, and jazz.
Say Africa is the seventh studio album by South African musician Vusi Mahlasela. The title song of the album "Say Africa" was originally written and performed by South African musician Dave Goldblum in 1997 and released on Dave's album Valley Road, however Dave receives little recognition for his work. The song was performed by Vusi Mahlasela at the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where Vusi gave full credit to Dave Goldblum for having written the song. However, the song is still publicly recognised as Vusi's own. The album was produced by Taj Mahal with the basic tracks were recorded in Dave Matthews' studio and completed in Johannesburg. Mahlasela performs duets with Taj Mahal and Angelique Kidjo on the album. Say Africa was released in South Africa in late 2010 and is scheduled for international release on 18 January 2011.
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."
Guy Buttery is a South African musician primarily known as a guitar player.
Victor Mhleli Ntoni was a South African musician, Among his notable achievements, Ntoni co-founded the Afro Cool Concept band in 1989 and received a nomination for the 2004 South African Music Awards SAMA and scored as well as arranged the music in The South African Songbook -- SA Folklore Music. His best known song is the hit “Wa thula nje”. At the time of his death Ntoni had become a legend in the jazz community.
The apartheid regime in South Africa began in 1948 and lasted until 1994. It involved a system of institutionalized racial segregation and white supremacy, and placed all political power in the hands of a white minority. Opposition to apartheid manifested in a variety of ways, including boycotts, non-violent protests, and armed resistance. Music played a large role in the movement against apartheid within South Africa, as well as in international opposition to apartheid. The impacts of songs opposing apartheid included raising awareness, generating support for the movement against apartheid, building unity within this movement, and "presenting an alternative vision of culture in a future democratic South Africa."
Renaissance is the second studio album by the South African quartet the Soweto String Quartet, released in October 1996 by BMG Records. It follows the national and international success of their debut album Zebra Crossing (1994), and was produced by Grahame Beggs. As with their previous album, Renaissance blends classical music with African pop and folk music, while also exploring new textures, with styles on the album including marabi, kwela and worldbeat. Quartet member Reuben Khemse described the album's themes as reawakening, revival and the dawn of new eras.
