Ladysmith Black Mambazo

“With Ladysmith Black Mambazo, reverence never means sadness or melancholy. Theirs is among the most distinctive and uplifting choral sounds around.” – NPR

As a boy growing up during the Apartheid, Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Shabalala dreamed of creating the best group of traditional South African singers his country had ever known. Now, 65 years since the group’s origination, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has not only conquered all of South Africa but has also become a worldwide phenomenon, receiving more Grammy wins (5) and nominations (19) than any other World Music group in history. 

During the dark years of South African Apartheid, Ladysmith Black Mambazo followed a path of peaceful protest through songs of hope and love. Nelson Mandela said that the group’s music was a powerful message of peace that he listened to while in jail, and, when awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, Mandela asked the group to join him at the ceremony, calling them “South Africa’s Cultural Ambassadors to the World.”

The group sings a traditional music style called isicathamiya (Is-Cot-A-Mee-Ya), which was developed by Black workers taken from their homes and families to work in the mines of South Africa. Poorly housed and paid, the mine workers would entertain themselves, after a six-day work week, by singing songs into the wee hours on Saturday night and Sunday. 

After leading his group for over fifty years, Joseph Shabalala retired in 2014, handing the leadership to his three sons, Thulani, Sibongiseni, and Thamsanqa Shalabala, who joined their father’s group in 1993. Along with Msizi Shabalala, Albert Mazibuko, Abednego Mazibuko, Mfanafuthi Dlamini, Pius Shezi, and Sabelo Mthembu, Joseph’s sons have carried his dreams and music into the future.