LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO
Genres: African Fusion, Jazz Related Soundtracks • South Africa

Designated “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors to the world” by Nelson Mandela, Ladysmith Black Mambazo was founded in the early 1960s by Joseph Shabalala, then a teenage farm boy living on the lands just outside the small town of Ladysmith, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, halfway between Johannesburg and Durban. Shabalala used his hometown’s name as part of the group name to honor his family’s history; the word black in reference to the black oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; and mambazo, the Zulu word for chopping axe, as a symbol of the group’s vocal ability to clear the path to success. It took several years for Shabalala to find the best singers to join his group. At one point he had a dream in which he heard the sound he wanted his group to emulate. Finally, in early 1969, with four brothers and three cousins, Shabalala had the voices read more...