Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Joseph Shabalala dies

JOSEPH Shabalala, who created the world-famous South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, died in a Pretoria hospital yesterday at the age of 78.

Shabalala was born in 1941, the eldest of eight children living on a farm in Tugela, near the town of Ladysmith in South Africa.

He was forced to leave school at the age of 12 when his father died, working on the family farm and, later, in a local factory. In his spare time, he would sing with friends in a local group called the Blacks.

“The young boys when they got together, they started to sing the songs, until the mamas and the neighbours said, ‘Hey, do it again’,” he told the BBC.

He eventually became the leader and main composer for the choir, fusing indigenous Zulu songs and dances with South African isicathamiya, an a capella tradition that was frequently accompanied by a soft, shuffling style of dance.

They were re-christened Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a name that was significant on several levels: Ladysmith represented their hometown, Black referenced the black oxen that were the strongest on the farm, and Mambazo, from the Zulu word for axe, symbolised the group’s ability to cut down the competition.

A radio performance in 1970 led to a recording contract, and in 1973 they released Africa’s first gold-selling album, ‘Amabutho’. They achieved global recognition after being recruited to sing on Paul Simon’s multi-million-selling ‘Graceland’ album, most notably on ‘Homeless’, a song Shabalala co-wrote with Simon, based on the melody for a traditional Zulu wedding song. The band joined Simon on his subsequent world tour. In return, he produced their next three albums – with 1987’s ‘Shaka Zulu’ winning a Grammy for best traditional folk recording.

Shabalala retired from active performance in 2014 shortly after performing at a memorial concert for Nelson Mandela.

He continued to teach traditional choral music, while four of his sons (and one grandson) continued his legacy within Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

The musician was with his wife Thokozile Shabalala, in his final moments, said band manager Xolani Majozi.

“The group is on tour in the US, but they have been informed and are devastated because the group is family.”

The South African government paid tribute to the musician in a tweet, saying: “We would like to extend our condolences on the passing of Joseph Shabalala who was the founder of the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

It added in Xhosa, “Ulale ngoxolo Tata ugqatso lwakho ulufezile.” (Rest in peace, father, your race is complete.) – bbc.com

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