Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a chorus from South Africa that sings a cappella isicathamiya and mbube music. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland. They were formed by Joseph Shabalala in 1960 and became one of South Africa's prolific recording artists, with their releases receiving gold and platinum disc honors.[1] The group has now become a mobile academy, teaching people about South Africa and its culture.
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, Shabalala entered them into isicathamiya competitions.
The group were described as 'so good' that they were eventually forbidden to enter the competitions but were welcomed to entertain at them. [2] 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. [3] Ladysmith Black Mambazo's collaboration with Paul Simon in 1986 paved the way for international releases, making them widely known across the world.
The group usually tours for three months before returning to South Africa (usually during the Christmas holiday). Altogether, the tours span nine to ten months each year. The group finished a four-month tour of the US in April 2006, and a follow-up 30-date tour of the UK (from May 5 through to June 10), with the Mbaqanga trio Mahotella Queens as their support act. Mambazo started a summer tour on 9 July 2006 with concerts in the US, Australia and New Zealand, ending in October 2006. The same month, the group performed a special concert entitled Long Walk to Freedom: An Evening with Ladysmith Black Mambazo at New York's Carnegie Hall (see 2006-present for more details). In January 2007, the group will commence a three-month tour of the US and will follow with concerts in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. [30] The group will also complete an October-November 2007 tour of the UK.
