Ageless Ladysmith Black Mambazo still going strong at 52 with plenty of tours

A famous Swahili proverb says mcheza kwao hutuzwa, meaning he who dances at home will be rewarded. This proverb is meant to encourage people to embrace their communities and culture.

Very few people ever live to fulfil their childhood dreams, but for Joseph Shabalala, his dream of producing tight vocal harmonies and messages of peace saw him take lead of a band that would introduce African traditional music to the world as well as win five Grammy Awards.

Africa has many different styles of music, but this male choral group from South Africa has mastered its own sound known as isicathamiya, which means to tiptoe. Their music was born in the mines of South Africa, where underpaid South Africans worked far away from home. Amidst all their frustrations, they would sing and dance for entertainment after six days of hard work. But they had to dance quietly in order to not disturb the guards, thus the name isicathamiya.

The choral group was formed in 1964 by Shabalala. He named it Ladysmith Black Mambazo, after his hometown. ‘Black’ was in  reference to a black ox, considered to be the strongest kind, and ‘Mambazo’ means axe, symbolising the group’s skill in “chopping down” their musical rivals.

Founding member Shabalala has been the mainstay of the group. Early members included his brothers Headman Shabalala and Enoch Shabalala, cousins Albert Mazibuko, Milton Mazibuko, Funokwakhe Mazibuko, Abednego Mazibuko, and Joseph Mazibuko, and friends Matovati Msimanga and Walter Malinga. 

Other members have included Geophrey Mdletshe, Russel Methembu, Jabulane Mwelase; Inos Phungula; Ben Shabalala (died 2004) and Jockey Shabalala (died 2006). Current members include Shabalala, Msizi Shabalala, Russel Mthembu, Albert Mazibuko, Thulani Shabalala, Sibongiseni Shabalala, and Abednego Mazibuko.

Since 1964, they have won almost every singing competition. Their success at one time saw them banned from competing with other groups. Occasionally they would be allowed to appear just for entertainment purposes.

Now, back to mcheza kwao hutuzwa. Ladysmith Black Mambazo quickly became a household name because of their mix of traditional music and major themes of love and equality.

Their music did not quite go against the Apartheid regime of the time, unlike their contemporaries like Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, who utilised their music to strongly campaign against the profound injustice of Apartheid.

However, South African politics did play a part in the group’s career, especially in the early 1990s. Nelson Mandela was a great fan of the group. When he was released from prison on February 11, 1990, after 27 years behind bars, the group released its first post-apartheid song that celebrated the demise of the repressive system. After this, they were present at all state events attended by Mandela, including Mandela’s presidential inauguration as the first black president of South Africa in 1994.

It was not until the release of Graceland album in 1986, however, and its subsequent tour and television appearances, that most Americans got to know Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

The genesis of their popularity outside South Africa is accredited to American musician Paul Simon. He heard the group’s music when he was considering which of the many African musical ensembles to include in his 1986 album.

The group travelled to London with Paul Simon to record the Grammy Award winning album Graceland. They also recorded Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes and Homeless, both which ended up doing tremendously well. My favourite song by the group being Hallo my Baby.

Stefan Grossman, distributor of the group’s albums on Shanachie Records and a major influence on the rise of knowledgeable audiences for African music in America, described their style as “a timeless beauty that transcends culture, language and all other artificial barriers dividing humanity.”

The success of the Graceland album recording followed by concert tours led to a strong touring life for the group that continues to this day. They perform concert tours around the world for six or more months every year.

In fact, they have had a busy week. Last week on Wednesday, they did perform  in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, at the Buskirk Chumney theatre. On Thursday, they were in Kettering, Ohio at the Fraze Pavilion. On Friday, they camped in Columbus, Ohio before finishing their tour today in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

In addition to their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has recorded with numerous artists from around the world through the years, including Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, and Sarah McLachlan.

They have provided soundtrack material for Disney’s The Lion King, Part II as well as Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America and James Earl Jones’ Cry the Beloved Country, among others.

In the famous BBC music programme Music Time in Africa, which was  hosted by Heather Maxwell, Oliver Mtukudzi, who has also re-recorded Hallo my Baby with the group, was asked when he plans to retire. His answer was “how can I retire from myself?”

The same question was directed at Shabalala, and this was his response: “When the time comes for me to stay home, they will carry me on my dream. As well, my son Thamsanqa (Tommy) will become the new leader of the group. Thus, the dream because according to him, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is on a mission. A mission to  keep our culture alive and to make it known that South Africa is a wonderful place, filled with beautiful people.”