Ladysmith Black Mambazo

  • Ladysmith, South Africa
    hometown
  • World/International
    genre
  • 1960
    started
  • Bio
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About Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Official Site: http://mambazo.com


Ladysmith Black Mambazo was founded by Joseph Shabalala in 1974. They've cut well over 30 albums since, but the group did not become well known outside of South Africa until Paul Simon asked them to perform on Graceland. Shabalala was born into a poor family that lived on a white man's farm near the town of Ladysmith. There were eight children in the Shabalala family, and, as the oldest boy, it was Joseph's duty to take care of the family after his father died.

Shabalala's first musical experience, save for a bit of fooling around on the guitar, came with a choral group called the Blacks. Shabalala eventually took over leadership of the group and became its main composer. The Blacks won most of the local vocal competitions and became the most popular Zulu vocal group, but Shabalala felt that something was missing. "I had been hearing a voice inside me," Shabalala said. "I didn't know it, but it was the voice of God." When the voice told him to fast, Shabalala obeyed, and on his fast, he had a vision of a new kind of vocal music. Shortly thereafter he became a Christian. Taking the choral music he heard in the Christian church, he combined it with the Zulu tradition to create his own style.

When the Blacks refused to take part in Shabalala's experiments, he formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The group consists of seven bass voices, an alto, a tenor, and Shabalala singing lead. The combo immediately began releasing albums at a staggering rate, offering a massive catalog of vocal music. Even if you don't speak Zulu, when they hit a low rumbling note, you can literally feel the power of their voices in your body.

"In Zulu singing there are three major sounds," Shabalala explains. "A high keening ululation; a grunting, puffing sound that we make when we stomp our feet; and a certain way of singing melody. Before Black Mambazo you didn't hear these three sounds in the same songs. So it is new to combine them, although it is still done in a traditional style. We are just asking God to allow us to polish it, to help keep our voices in order so we can praise Him and uplift the people."

The group has had an extremely prolific recording career, having released over 50 albums and collections, beginning with their debut, Amabutho, on Gallo Records in 1973. In 1988 Ladymith signed with Warner Bros. and issued a pair of albums, Journey of Dreams in 1988 and Two Worlds One Heart in 1990. A couple of best-of samplers appeared on Shanachie in 1992. The group switched back to Gallo for a series of 1990s releases, then moved to Wrasse for several albums, including 2000's In Harmony. No Boundaries, which featured the English Chamber Orchestra, appeared on Headsup Records in 2005, followed by a second album from the label, Long Walk to Freedom, in 2006. In 2007 Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu was issued in South Africa with an American edition following in 2008. ~ j. poet, Rovi

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Photos

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  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Robert Hoffman

News

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  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo Announce New Two-Disc Collection, Tour Dates
    www.jambands.com
    South African a capella gospel group Ladysmith Black Mambazo will tour the U.S. behind their recently released Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Friends alb...
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  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo Experimenting with Gospel Music | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo has covered a broad range of music during its 40-plus years together, from indigenous South African styles to the children's m...
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  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Tony Bennett, Buddy Guy, David Sanborn & Bob James, McCoy Tyner Quartet, John Scofield, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and More Confirmed for Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival
    www.jambands.com
    Scofield and Preservation Hall Jazz Band are among the acts confirmed for the 36th annual Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival. The two-day festival wil...
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Tour Dates

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  • Jun 19 Wednesday
    Evanston, IL, US S.P.A.C.E.
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  • Jun 20 Thursday
    Milwaukee, WI, US Pabst Theatre
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  • Jun 29 Saturday
    Ottawa, ON, Canada Dominion-Chalmers United Church
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  • Jan 30 Thursday
    Ithaca, NY, US The State Theatre of Ithaca
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  • Feb 9 Sunday
    St. Paul, MN, US Ordway Center for Performing Arts
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  • Mar 2 Sunday
    Berkeley, CA, US Zellerbach Auditorium, UC Berkeley
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Discography

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Next Page
  • Songs from a Zulu Farm (2011)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Songs from a Zulu Farm (2011)
    Razor & Tie
  • Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu [Heads Up] (2008)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu [Heads Up] (2008)
    Heads Up Records
  • Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu [Warner Bros.] (2007)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu [Warner Bros.] (2007)
    Rhino
  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo [Multiwaves] (2006)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo [Multiwaves] (2006)
    Multiwaves
  • Long Walk to Freedom (2006)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Long Walk to Freedom (2006)
    Heads Up Records
  • No Boundaries (2005)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    No Boundaries (2005)
    Heads Up Records
  • Wenyukela (2004)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Wenyukela (2004)
    Heads Up Records
  • In Harmony (2001)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    In Harmony (2001)
    Universal Distribution
  • Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1999)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1999)
    Shanachie Records
  • Heavenly (1997)
    Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    Heavenly (1997)
    Shanachie Records
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