Joseph Shabalala (28 August 1940 – 11 February 2020), was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group

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 ...

Early life and career

Shabalala was born in the town of

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...

(eMnambithi district) in the

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 ...

region of South Africa. His parents, Jonathan Mluwane Shabalala and Nomandla Elina Shabalala, raised Joseph and his six siblings on a white-owned farm called Tugela. His father died in the late 1940s; Joseph, being the eldest, had to take care of the family. He left the farm, however, in 1958 to search for work in the nearby city of

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. During this time, he was spotted by a well-known group, the Durban Choir, after he delighted audiences with his smooth guitar playing and soprano voice. When he joined the choir, he attempted to teach them some of his new compositions, namely his first song " Nomathemba" (which was made into a play in 1995). They refused, and so he left them after only two years. In 1958, Shabalala discovered an

isicathamiya Isicathamiya (with the "c" pronounced as a dental click) is a singing style that originated from the South African Zulus. In European understanding, a cappella is also used to describe this form of singing. The word itself does not have a literal ...

group, The Highlanders, led by his hero Galiyane Hlatshwayo. Hlatshwayo was the man who encouraged Shabalala to use his voice powerfully. Shabalala formed his own group the following year 1959, Ezimnyama ("The Black Ones"). A series of dreams he had in his sleep in December 1960 was a major turning point in the formation of the group; when he saw how well his group did in the once-weekly

competitions, he renamed them

, "Mambazo" meaning

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

, referring to how the group chopped down the other choirs by winning almost every time. After local radio airplay (on the S.A.B.C. station '' Radio Zulu''), Shabalala accepted a recording contract that was offered in 1972 by

Gallo Music 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 ...

producer

West Nkosi West Nkosi (born Mkhubatseli West Nkosi, 1940 – 8 October 1998) was a South African music producer, saxophonist and songwriter. Nkosi was born in Nelspruit, South Africa. He was an original member of the Makgona Tsohle Band which backed Mahla ...

. The group sold over 40,000 copies of their first album Imbongi. and continued to do so through other recordings. In 1976, he became a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, and the songs in the Mambazo repertoire were shuffled to one side to include generalized Christian,

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

, and

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

hymns sung in the Zulu language.

Rising to stardom

In 1986,

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 ...

travelled to South Africa to collaborate with South African artists for his upcoming ''

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 ...

'' album. Simon collaborated with Shabalala and the group, and co-composed the now-famous song, " Homeless". The group's popularity spread all over the world, and since then they have sold records popular enough to earn platinum disc certification. In 1987, the group won their first solo

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for ''

Shaka Zulu Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

''. Since then, they have won a second Grammy, and have been nominated more than ten times for the award. Following the worldwide success of ''Graceland'', Shabalala began composing more songs in English (prior to this they had only recorded two in English and one in German). On the night of 10 December 1991, his brother and fellow member Headman Shabalala was killed by an off-duty white security guard near the town of Ladysmith. The death was thought to be a

racial A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

murder. Joseph, helped by his beliefs, persevered, and the group continued; the members now included his brother

Jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

, close relatives

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

and

Abednego Mazibuko Mpindela Abednego Mazibuko is a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 - and still led - by his cousin Joseph Shabalala, Joseph."LadySmith Black Mambazo." MazAlien. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. . Abednego was born i ...

, Russel Mthembu and

Jabulani Dubazana Jabulani Frederick Mwelase Dubazana was a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 - and still led - by close friend Joseph Shabalala.Sibongiseni, Thamsanqa, Thulani and Msizi. Nevertheless, tragedy returned. In May 2002, Shabalala's wife of 30 years, Nellie, was shot and killed by an assailant outside the couple's home in

Clermont, KwaZulu-Natal Clermont is a township of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Clermont under the apartheid days was a black middle income township. Its immediate surroundings include KwaDabeka to the north, New Germany to the west, Westville to the south a ...

. Shabalala's hand was wounded in his attempt to protect his wife. Mboneni Mdunge was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. At the same trial, Shabalala's son Nkosinathi Vivian Shabalala (Nellie's stepson) was charged, tried, and acquitted on charges of having paid Mdunge for Nellie's murder.

Later life and death

The next album from the group, '' Wenyukela'', was expected to have a solemn tone in the wake of Nellie’s murder. Indeed, it did, including a tribute to Nellie by her grandsons Gagamela and Babuyile Shabalala. The track encouraged their grandfather to carry on, while assuring him that "S-H-A-B-A-L-A-L-A will live on." Six months after Nellie's death, Joseph Shabalala married Thoko Maduna, which was characterized as a "controversial stunt” by the South African press. Shabalala continued to carry on singing, and established the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation, a music academy to promote and teach

music to young South African children. Tragedy struck again in June 2004 when his brother (and former Mambazo member) Ben Shabalala was shot and killed by an unknown individual whilst driving his two children to school. In February 2006, his brother

(Joseph’s only remaining brother in the group by this time), died of natural causes at his home in

, South Africa. In January 2008, Shabalala announced that his youngest son, Thamsanqa, would take over as leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo when the time came for Joseph to retire from international touring. That time came in early 2014, when Shabalala sat out a three-month tour, although he continued to sing on special occasions. On 11 February 2020, Shabalala died in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, South Africa. At his death, many media outlets reported that he was 78 years old, which would suggest that Joseph Shabalala was born in August of 1941. However, the government of South Africa has officially declared that he was born in 1940, making Shabalala 79 years old at the time of his death.

References

External links

Ladysmith Black Mambazo's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shabalala, Joseph Ladysmith Black Mambazo members 1940 births 2020 deaths South African record producers 20th-century South African male singers South African male composers South African Christians 21st-century South African male singers People from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal Zulu people Zulu-language singers

Early life and career

Rising to stardom

Later life and death

See also

References

External links