Hilda Semola Tloubatla (born 1942) is a South African ''

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 ...

'' singer, and the lead singer of the acclaimed group the

Mahotella Queens The Mahotella Queens is a South African female band formed in 1964 by music producer Rupert Bopape, consisting of Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu Mbadu, and Amanda Nkosi. The group is noted for their distinct vocal harmony sound, guitar-led mbaqanga ...

. Tloubatla was born in Payneville, South Africa before moving to kwaThema township in 1951 as a result of (what was) the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

government's 'Group Areas Act' in the country.Info.gov.za, National Orders: Order of Ikhamanga, Hilda Tloubatl

, 2005.

Early life

Tloubatla first began her music career by recording at the

South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

in the late 1950s and early 1960s. However, it wasn't until she joined the session musician team at

Gallo Record Company Gallo Record Company is the largest (and oldest independent) record label in South Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Arena Holdings. The current Gallo Record Company is a hybrid of two South African record label ...

in 1964 that Tloubatla first gained national fame. She was immediately recruited into a new female group, the

, as a lead singer, along with fellow group members

Nobesuthu Mbadu Nobesuthu Gertrude Mbadu Shawe (26 April 1945 – 31 August 2021) was a South African ''mbaqanga'' singer, and a singer in the acclaimed group the Mahotella Queens. Early life Mbadu was born in Durban, South Africa and was raised by her father ...

, Mildred Mangxola, Juliet Mazamisa and Ethel Mngomezulu. The five Queens were then paired with a mbaqanga instrumental team, the

Makgona Tsohle Band The Makgona Tsohle Band was a South African instrumental band that is noted for creating the mbaqanga music style. Mbaqanga is an acculturated popular South African music that emerged in the 19th century. Mbaqanga is also referred to as towns ...

and the gruff, "groaning" vocals of

Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde Simon "Mahlathini" Nkabinde (1937 or 1938 – 27 July 1999) was a South African ''mbaqanga'' singer. Known as the "Lion of Soweto", Nkabinde is the acknowledged exponent of the deep-voiced, basso profundo "groaning" style that came to symboliz ...

, and not long afterwards, the band – billed as

Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens (also known as Mahlathini Nezintombi Zomgqashiyo and Mahlathini and the Girls of Mgqashiyo) were a South African ''mbaqanga'' supergroup made up of the three musical acts linked together by talent scout and r ...

– were receiving instant fame. In 1971, several original Mahotella Queens (including Tloubatla) had left to pursue other directions in the music business, such as joining other groups, and so an entirely new line-up of Queens was formed. Tloubatla became a regular member of rival group Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje, but kept returning to the new group of Mahotella Queens on a semi-regular basis.

International fame

In 1983, the five original Queens (Tloubatla, Mbadu, Mangxola, Mazamisa and Mngomezulu) were reunited with Mahlathini and the Makgona Tsohle Band by Makgona Tsohle guitarist and Queens producer

Marks Mankwane Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel '' ...

. Their comeback release, ''

Amaqhawe Omgqashiyo ''Amaqhawe'' was the 7th studio release by the South African isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The album included songs such as "Ngi Boniseleni", which was later re-recorded (in 1987) as "Yibo Labo" ("These Are The Guys") on the album ' ...

'', was a hit in South Africa. Due to the success of

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

's ''

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 Elv ...

'' 1986 album and tour (in which he collaborated with

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of ''isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won m ...

Stimela Stimela is a South African Afro-fusion band, founded during the 1970s by Ray Phiri, a self-taught guitarist. The band was formed when Phiri got together with drummer Isaac Mtshali, Thabo Lloyd Lelosa and Jabu Sibumbe, and they initially called th ...

and others), South African music was in demand. Three original Queens, Tloubatla, Mbadu and Mangxola, were reunited once more with their bandmates. Their international popularity was profound. Even after the deaths of Mahlathini and several members of the Makgona Tsohle Band, the three Queens (who are all grandmothers and are over seventy years old) remained at the helm until the death of Mbadu in 2021.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tloubatla, Hilda 1942 births Living people Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens members Mbaqanga 20th-century South African women singers