David Mdavu Masondo (1950 – 5 July 2015) was a South African singer and drummer. He was the lead vocalist of

Mbaqanga Mbaqanga () is a style of South African music with rural Zulu music, Zulu roots that continues to influence musicians worldwide today. The style originated in the early 1960s. History Historically, laws such as the Natives' Land Act, Land Act ...

group

The Soul Brothers ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

Career

His musical career began as a drummer for band formed in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

in 1970 the Young Brothers. In the early 1970s, the Young Brothers moved to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and met the keyboardist Black Moses Ngwenya and co-founded The Soul Brothers. In 1975, their breakthrough song, "Mshoza Wami", was released. The song was commercially successful, selling 60,000 copies within three months. In September 2009, Masondo's solo album ''Nkosi Bathethelele'', fused with

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

elements, was released in South Africa.

Legal issues

Masondo assaulted his wife Nomsa, and a case was opened. He was arrested on 7 February 2008 at Mofolo Park, Soweto, facing charges for assault and pointing a firearm at his wife.

Personal life

Masondo died at Garden City Hospital in Mayfair,

, on 5 July 2015, after suffering from

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Masondo, David 2015 deaths 20th-century South African male singers Mbaqanga Musicians from KwaZulu-Natal 1950 births The Soul Brothers members