Download Song Inkanyezi

[Gladys Anick]

Despitewhat I have just said in the previous paragraph, the words are not trivial or a telephone directory. They talk of the coming of Christ and the wise men and the star as the English subtitle says. There is a reverence and a lullaby quality to the singing which shows the strong faith that the group show in this and many other of their songs.

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[2] the fifth of which they dedicated to the late former South African President Nelson Mandela.[3]

Formed by Joseph Shabalala in 1960, Ladysmith Black Mambazo became one of South Africa's most prolific musical groups. Their releases received gold and platinum disc honours in both South Africa and abroad.[4] The group became a mobile academy of South African cultural heritage through their African indigenous isicathamiya music.[3]

Joseph Shabalala formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo because of a series of dreams he had in 1964, in which he heard certain isicathamiya harmonies (isicathamiya being the traditional music of the Zulu people). Following their local success at wedding ceremonies and other gatherings, Shabalala entered them into isicathamiya competitions. The group was described as 'so good' that they were eventually forbidden to enter the competitions, but welcomed to entertain at them.[5] Although they had been recognised as an isicathamiya group in 1964, they had been singing together since the early 1950s. They released their first album, Amabutho, in 1973. The album, along with many other releases by the group, received gold disc certification.[6] Ladysmith Black Mambazo's collaboration with Paul Simon in 1986 paved the way for international releases.

The first incarnation of Ladysmith Black Mambazo was "Ezimnyama" ("The Black Ones"), formed by Joseph Shabalala in December 1960. The members of the group were relatives (mostly brothers and cousins) of Shabalala, with many having sung with him while he was growing up on the farm where he was born. Although the group did sing well together and captured the sound of cothoza mfana ("tiptoe boys", a 1960s slang term for isicathamiya) and mbube groups of the time, they were unknown outside of the Ladysmith district.[7]

In 1964, Shabalala had a series of recurring dreams during his sleep, over a period of six months, featuring a choir singing in perfect harmony.[8] Shabalala described this as a beautiful sound, and one not yet achieved by his group of the time. As a result, he reformed the group, bringing on board newer (younger) relatives but keeping the group name. He strove to teach them the harmonies from his dreams, creating what was to become a signature tune for the group: "Nomathemba" (a girl's name, meaning "hope"). After deciding that this group well replicated the beautiful, soft sounds from his dreams, Shabalala entered the group into isicathamiya competitions, held on Saturday nights in the halls of hostels in Durban and Johannesburg. The group managed to win nearly every competition that was held. As a result, Shabalala decided to change the name of the group to be more descriptive of its talent. The name "Ezimnyama" was replaced by "Ladysmith Black Mambazo".

The three elements of the new name were: the hometown of Shabalala's family, Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal; the black ox, considered to be the strongest farm animal; and mambazo, which means "axe" in the Zulu language, and is symbolic of the choir's ability to "chop down" the competition.

Eventually, by the early 1970s, the group was forbidden to compete in the competitions because of their continual success. They were, however, welcome to perform without taking part in the competition itself.[9]

In 1967, the group began to make recordings for the SABC station Radio Zulu, appearing in DJ Alexius Buthelezi's popular Cothoza Mfana programme, which spotlighted the music of several local choirs.[10] Their success was so great that music producers began enticing the group to sign a recording contract. In 1972 the group signed with Gallo Record Company under producer West Nkosi at the organisation's African music division, Mavuthela Music Company (Nkosi was also well known in South Africa as a saxophone jive star). Ladysmith Black Mambazo released their first album the following year, Amabutho, which received gold status and was the first album by a black musician or group in South Africa to do so. Their subsequent albums also received gold or platinum certification.[11] With the release of their second album, they had become professional singers.[10]

The group saw many changes; whereas the early line-ups were formed of a few Shabalalas and two (Funokwakhe and Joseph) Mazibukos, the group largely included members unrelated to Joseph.[12] Joseph Shabalala's cousin Mdletshe Albert Mazibuko (the eldest of the six brothers) joined Mambazo in 1969[13] as a tenor voice, with his younger brother Milton as an alto voice. Albert is the longest remaining member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo aside from Joseph Shabalala and has been a full-time member of the group since 1973. After the killing of his brother Milton in 1980,[14] Albert remained in the line-up, by which time his brothers Funokwakhe Mazibuko and Joseph Mazibuko had left Ladysmith Black Mambazo and his youngest brother Abednego had joined.

In 1976, Shabalala converted to Christianity and a host of religious material now entered the group's repertoire. Mambazo's first religious album, Ukukhanya Kwelanga, was released soon afterwards. It earned a double platinum disc award, and the group's repertoire came to be dominated by hymns, mostly Methodist. Their 1976 LP Ukusindiswa became one of their most popular religious albums, selling double gold discs within three weeks of release.[11] By 1981, the group's popularity was such that the apartheid government allowed the members to travel to Cologne, Germany as part of a South African folk music festival.[15] The group toured West Germany and appeared on television, and learned some of the German language; for the group's 1981 album Phansi Emgodini, Shabalala composed a song entitled "Wir Grssen Euch Alle" ("We greet you all"). The following year, the group travelled back to Germany to appear on a televised quiz programme, bringing about requests for more live appearances.[15] A track by the group also appeared on the groundbreaking British compilation album The Indestructible Beat of Soweto.

The success of the Graceland recording and subsequent concert tours led to a strong touring life for the group that continues to this day. Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform concert tours around the world for six or more months every year.

In 1988, Ladysmith Black Mambazo appeared in Michael Jackson's movie Moonwalker, where they performed "The Moon Is Walking" (an abridged version of the song "Lindelani", which appears on Journey of Dreams) over the end credits. Ladysmith Black Mambazo was also featured in the Sesame Street song "Put Down the Duckie", as well as "The African Alphabet".

On 10 December 1991, Shabalala's brother and one of the bass members in the group, Headman Shabalala, was shot and killed by Sean Nicholas, a white off-duty security guard.[20][21] Headman's death was followed by the retirement of two members in 1993 and Shabalala recruited three of his sons into the group.

The apartheid system was officially abolished in 1991, and democratic general elections did not commence until 1994. The release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years imprisonment brought a celebratory album release - 1993's Liph' Iqiniso. Mandela (shortly after his release from prison) publicly stated that the members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo were "South Africa's cultural ambassadors".[22] At Mandela's request, Ladysmith Black Mambazo accompanied the future President of South Africa to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, in 1993. Mambazo sang again at President Mandela's inauguration in May 1994, and then later at his birthday celebrations.[23]

In 1996, the group appeared on Dolly Parton's album Treasures, collaborating with Parton on a cover of Cat Stevens' "Peace Train"; they joined Parton for an appearance on a November 1996 US network television special to perform the song.[citation needed]

In 1997, for a run of UK television advertisements, "Toast for Life", for Heinz soups, baked beans and tomato ketchup, the group recorded an abridged version of "Inkanyezi Nezazi" ("The Star and the Wiseman").[citation needed] The adverts proved so popular that the original studio version (recorded back in 1992) was released as a single and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[citation needed] The single was followed up by The Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo - The Star and the Wiseman in 1998,[citation needed] a compilation release that became so popular it was certified triple platinum, selling 1 million copies in Britain alone.[25] The Heinz campaign led to a reawakening of the group in Britain, and many television and radio performances beckoned over the next few years, as well as performing for the British royal family.[citation needed] In 1999, the group collaborated with Irish pop group B*Witched on their single "I Shall Be There", which hit No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2001, the group was referenced in the Family Guy episode "Lethal Weapons".[citation needed]

A film documentary about Ladysmith Black Mambazo, On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom, was released in 2000.[citation needed] The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 2001, but lost out to "Big Mama".[citation needed] The movie was presented the Best Short Documentary award by the 2001 International Documentary Association.[citation needed]

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