Thandi Klaasen (born Thandiwe Nelly Mpambani, 27 September 1931 – 15 January 2017) was a jazz musician from

Sophiatown, Gauteng Sophiatown , also known as Sof'town or Kofifi, is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sophiatown was a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid, It produced some of South Africa's most famous writers, musicians, politicians a ...

. She was the mother of singer

Lorraine Klaasen Lorraine Klaasen (born 1957) is a London, Ontario-based world music singer. Her mother was South African jazz singer Thandi Klaasen. She has performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and her international itinerary has included the ...

Biography

Thandiwe Nelly Mpambani grew up in Sophiatown, the daughter of a shoemaker and a domestic worker.Thandi Klaasen profile
When she was a teenager, she was attacked with an acid bomb and her face was permanently scarred.Kagiso Msimango, "Warrior Goddess: Thandi Klaasen"
The Goddess Academy, 20 May 2006. Her career as a singer and dancer began in the mid-1950s. Klaasen performed with

Dolly Rathebe Dolly Rathebe ( OIS) (2 April 1928 – 16 September 2004) was a South African musician and actress who performed with the Elite Swingsters jazz band, and in Alf Herbert's ''African Jazz and Variety Show''. Rathebe died on 16 September 2004 f ...

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

Dorothy Masuka Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935, in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) – 23 February 2019, in Johannesburg, South AfricaOrder of Ikhamanga The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003 and is granted by the President of South Africa for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports (which were initially recognised b ...

in Gold (2006) for "excellent achievement in and contribution to the art of Music". In August 2013, as part of the Women's Month celebrations, Klaasen and four other icons of South African jazz -

Abigail Kubeka Abigail Kubheka (born 7 December 1939) is a South African singer, songwriter and actress. On the SABC TV series '' Generations: The Legacy'', she plays the role of Zondiwe Mogale, the mother of Tau Mogale (Rapulana Seiphemo) and Tshidi Phakade ( ...

Dorothy Masuka Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935, in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) – 23 February 2019, in Johannesburg, South AfricaSathima Bea Benjamin Beatrice "Sathima Bea" Benjamin (17 October 1936 – 20 August 2013) was a South African vocalist and composer, based for nearly 45 years in New York City. Early life She was born Beatrice Bertha BenjaminChinen, Nate ''The New York Times'', 29 ...

and Sylvia Mdunyelwa - were honoured by

Standard Bank Standard Bank Group Limited is a major South African bank and financial services group. It is Africa's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is situated in Simmonds Street, Johannesburg. History ...

with lifetime achievement awards. Other awards she has received include the Woman of Distinction Award received in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(1999),Thandi Klaasen biography at Festival International Nuits d'Afrique
Montréal Festimania. and a lifetime achievement award at the 2006

South African Music Awards The South African Music Awards (often simply the SAMAs) are the Recording Industry of South Africa's music industry awards, established in 1995. The ceremony is held annually, usually in late April or May, with the judging process starting in N ...

References

External links

South Africa history page"At home with the legendary Thandi Klaasen"
''

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

'', 3 March 2013.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klaasen, Thandi 1931 births 2017 deaths 20th-century South African women singers South African jazz singers Place of death missing Deaths from pancreatic cancer