Stimela is a South African

Afro-fusion Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

band, founded during the 1970s by

Ray Phiri Raymond Chikapa Enock Phiri (23 March 1947 – 12 July 2017) was a South African jazz, fusion and mbaqanga musician born in Mpumalanga to Thabethe Phiri, a Malawian immigrant worker, and South African guitarist nicknamed "Just Now" Phiri. He was ...

, 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 themselves the Cannibals. The band started out as instrumentalists, but it later evolved to Afro-fusion when they joined forces with vocalist

Jacob "Mparanyana" Radebe Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Jacob in Islam, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel (name), Israel, is regarded as a Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religi ...

in 1975, continuing to work together for four years. The band kept going after Radebe died in 1978. They changed their name to Stimela after a life-changing experience in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

when they were stranded in

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...

for three months. They had to sell all their belongings to take a train home. This trip was a watershed moment as it was where they conceived the new name for the band: train is translated as Stimela in

Nguni Nguni may refer to: *Nguni languages *Nguni cattle *Nguni people *Nguni sheep, which divide into the Zulu sheep, Zulu, Pedi (sheep), Pedi, and Swazi sheep, Swazi types *Nguni stick-fighting * Nguni shield * Nguni homestead *Nguni (surname) {{disam ...

languages. Besides the change in name, the band also expanded with new members Charlie "Sam" Ndlovu, Nana Coyote, Thapelo Kgomo and Ntokozo Zungu. With soulful tunes and gripping lyrics, the band has recorded platinum-winning albums such as ''Fire, Passion and Ecstasy'', ''Listen, Look and Decide'' as well as the controversial ''People Don't Talk, So Let's Talk''. One of their most memorable tracks — "Whispers in the Deep" — was restricted for broadcast by the old

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 ...

."Raymond Chikapa Phiri"
The Presidency, Republic of South Africa.

Members

(1947–2017) - lead guitar, lead vocals * Sam Ndlovu - Vocals * Isaac "Mnca" Mtshali (1955–2019) - drummer *

Nana Coyote Tsietsi Daniel Motijoane, better known as Nana Coyote, was a Lesotho born South African musician. Motijoane grew up in Sharpeville, in what is known as the Vaal Triangle. He started singing at an early age and had formed a band by the time he wa ...

(1955–2010) - lead vocals * Thapelo Khomo - Keyboards/Piano/Synthesizers * Ntokozo Zungu - lead guitar * Bafana Khuzwayo (1978-2017) - organ *

Lloyd Lelosa Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), Americ ...

(1955-2021) - Keyboards/Piano * Jabu Sibumbe - Bass *

Sandile Ngema Sandile may refer to * Sandile (name) * Sandile (Pokémon), a fifth-generation Pokémon species *Sandile Dam Sandile Dam is a zoned embankment dam located on the Keiskamma River Ezingcuka near Keiskammahoek, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was es ...

- Bass *

Charles "Dibabas" Ndlovu Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

(***-2009) - Organ *Sizwe Mashinini - Keyboards

Discography

* 1982: ''Mama Wami'' * 1982: ''The Cannibals'' * 1983: ''I Hate Telling A Lie /I Love You'' * 1984: ''Fire, Passion and Ecstasy'' * 1985: ''Shadows, Fear and Pain'' * 1986: ''Look, Listen and Decide'' * 1986: ''Rewind'' (EP) * 1987: ''The Unfinished Story'' * 1988: ''Live!'' * 1989: ''Trouble In The Land of Plenty'' * 1990: ''The 2nd Half'' * 1991: ''Siyaya'' * 1992: ''Khululani'' * 1993: ''Are You Ready'' (Live Album) * 1994: ''Don't Ask Why'' * 1995: ''Are You Ready'' (Live) * 1996: ''Out of the Ashes'' * 2000: ''Steam Tracks'' (Best of) * 2001: ''Live At The Market Theatre - 1st Half'' (Stimela 1988 Live Re-Release ) * 2002: ''The 2nd Half'' (Re-release) * 2010: ''A Lifetime...'' * 2011: ''Turn on the Sun'' * 2018: ''Catch The Train''

References

-> South African musical groups Musical groups established in 1982 1982 establishments in South Africa {{Africa-band-stub