50s. 60s. Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 - 10 November 2008)

The first African woman to win a Grammy Award in 1966, Miriam Makeba was a central figure in the African jazz scene throughout the 1950s, starring in South Africa’s legendary musical King Kong, a musical crossover called a "jazz opera" by the show's promoters. She also performed with top singers of her times such as Abigail Khubeka and Dolly Rathebe and was member of the popular all female vocal group Skylarks, the Cuban Brothers and the big Manhattan Brothers. By the early 1960s, she was an international star and brought attention to South Africa and apartheid. While abroad, the government revoked her right of return and she moved to the United States. There, she married Stokely Carmichael (later Sekou Toure) of the Black Panthers movement but was hounded by authorities and eventually left for Guinea where she lived for a years as a citizen of the west African country after acquiring its citizenship through the then president Sekou Toure. Makeba was among many politically active youth and musicians who fled South Africa; many stayed in the United States, the UK and other European countries following their appearances at major festivals, and never returned to South Africa.


This album Pata-Pata is one of her popular albums, named after the title song Pata-Pata, which was also a kind of dance in the 50s and 60s. One of her performance highlights includes the collaboration with Africa-American great singers Odetta and Nina Simone. She was also married to trumpeter Hugh Masekela and released an album with Harry Belafonte titled ‘A night with Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte where she sings one of her revolutionary songs ‘Aluta Continua’, about the former Mozambican freedom fighter and president Samora Machel. This is the Grammy winning album. Mama Afrika as she was known worldwide passed away on the 10 November 2008 after collapsing onstage at a concert in Italy, a concert that would be her last.

Discography of more than 40 years:

Studio albums:

· Miriam Makeba: 1960 - RCA LSP2267
· The Many Voices Of Miriam Makeba: 1960 - Kapp KL1274
· The World Of Miriam Makeba: 1963 - RCA LSP2750
· Makeba: 1964 - RCA LSP2845
· Makeba Sings: 1965 - RCA LSP3321
· An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba (with Harry Belafonte): 1965 - RCA LSP3420
· The Magic of Makeba: 1965 - RCA LSP3512
· The Magnificent Miriam Makeba: 1966 - Mercury 134016
· All About Miriam: 1966 - Mercury 134029
· Miriam Makeba In Concert!: 1967 - Reprise RS6253
· Pata Pata: 1967 - Reprise RS6274
· Makeba!: 1968 - Reprise RS6310
· Live in Tokyo: 1968 - Reprise SJET8082
· Keep Me In Mind: 1970 - Reprise RS6381
· A Promise: 1974 - RCA YSPL1-544
· Live In Conakry - Appel A L'Afriqu: 1974 - Sonodisc SLP22
· Miriam Makeba & Bongi: 1975 - Sonodisc SLP48
· Live in Paris: 1977 - CD6508
· Country Girl: 1978 - Sonodisc ESP165518
· Comme Une Symphonie d'Amour: 1979
· Sangoma: 1988 - WB 925673-1
· Welela: 1989 - Gallo CDGSP3084
· Eyes On Tomorrow: 1991 - Gallo CDGSP3086
· Sing Me A Song: 1993 - CDS12702
· Homeland, 2000 - Putumayo PUTU1642
· The Definitive Collection, Wrasse Records - 2002
· Best of The Early Years, Wrasse Records - 2002
· Live at Berns Salonger, Stockholm, Sweden, 1966: 2003 - Gallo Music GWVCD-49
· Reflecting, 2004 - Gallo Music GWVCD-51
· Makeba Forever, 2006, Gallo Music CDGURB-082

Compilations:
· The Queen Of African Music - 17 Great Songs, 1987
· Africa 1960-65 recordings, 1991
· Eyes On Tomorrow, 1991
· The Best Of Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks: 1956 - 1959 recordings, 1998
· Mama Africa: The Very Best Of Miriam Makeba, 2000
· The Guinea Years, 2001
· The Definitive Collection, 2002
· The Best Of The Early Years, 2003

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1930s: Solomon Linda, Imbube and the birth of the South African recording industry

The South African recording industry was born in the 1930s with the establishment of the long running Gallo records formed by Eric Gallo. The company included subsidiaries such as Trek, Unika, GRC, Meteor, Teal and Trutone. The National Party was the ruling party during the 30’s and they very much favored separation of races, residential segregation and control of Africans' entry into urban areas. After the Wall Street crash in America the world suffered great economic depression. South African farmers were badly hit by the great depression and many other white South Africans- predominantly Afrikaners were reduced to poverty. South Africa then abandoned the Gold Standard in 1933 in order to curb the economic effects of the depression. This restored the higher price for gold, which in turn restored the prosperity of the mines which led to economic improvements in the country. This era also saw the rise of Afrikaner nationalism. In 1938, the centenary of the voortrekkers victory over the Zulu offered an opportunity for the Broederbond and FAK to organise a symbolic ox wagon trek across the country to Pretoria to win the support of fellow Afrikaners in created unity among all Afrikaners and to contribte funds to a deed to save the nation.

Solomon Linda and The Evening Birds

Solomon Linda used to be an employee of Gallo records before rising to stardom and in 1939, brought wide attention to this style of singing founded in the Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) province and had spread throughout South Africa during the 1930s. The song ‘Imbube’ is the original melody for the theme song of the Disney blockbuster ‘The Lion King’. Outstanding American hits adapted from this song include “Wimoweh” by The Weavers circa 1951, “The Lion sleeps tonight” by The Tokens and even R.E.M has made their own version. Some of these artists claimed copyright to the song and have raked in millions of dollars while the original composer died a pauper.

Mbube

While the rest of the world was making a big woo-ha about the first helicopter, Bonny & Clyde, air-conditioning and the Nazi’s launching their first concentration camp, the U.S. singing its first national anthem officially, South Africa was singing a new tune of ‘Mbube’: Zulu for Lion. This Zulu Accapella style of singing with its antiphonal harmonies is the early roots of Isqathamiya and was popularized by Solomon Linda and the Original Evening Birds. Mbube was developed from singing and dancing competitions that used to be staged at all-male hostels where migrant workers were impounded. The genre’s performance formation – which would become its basic structure – included an upper register vocal lead backed by a bass-dominated four-part harmony. Linda’s composition ‘Imbube’ is one of the most sampled and remade songs in the world and the first African recording to sell double platinum (100,000 units).

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1960/70s: Grammy Award winning Iscathamiya and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

In the 60s, a smooth form of mbube called Cothoza mfana developed, led by the King Star Brothers, who invented the Iscathamiya style by the end of the decade. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, headed by the sweet soprano of Joseph Shabalala, arose in the 1960s, and became perhaps the biggest Iscathamiya stars in South Africa's history. Their first album was 1973's Amabutho, which was also the first gold record by black musicians; it sold over 25,000 copies. Ladysmith Black Mambazo remained popular throughout the next few decades, especially after 1986, when Paul Simon, an American musician, included Ladysmith Black Mambazo on his extremely popular Graceland album and its subsequent tour of 1987. L.B.M are also three times Grammy Award winners.

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Inter-racial and cross-cultural collaboration during apartheid

'Ladies and Gentlemen, The Jazz Epistles!' - 1950s

Marabi music is one of the biggest musical influences for the generations of musicians like Abdullah Ibrahim (former Dollar Brand), Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Kippie Moeketsi etc, who were prominent in the 50s and are still big acts the world over, except for the late Kippie. These four greats were together known as Jazz Epistles in the 50s together with drummer ?. The first South African Jazz band to ever record a professional album when Jazz was the order of the day in the South African and American music scene. The influence of American Jazz was also evident in the many bands that were formed following the American format.

Kippie Moketsi’s was honored with a legendary Jazz venue in Joburg named after him, run by artist, Sipho Hotsitx Mabuze, who’s also a popular international South African name and has been on top of his game for the last three decades. The popular underdog jazz venue was a popular spot for years until its sad closure in 2007.

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KIPPIE MOEKETSI

Hugh Masekela 70 years Birthday Celebrations (2009)

The legend of Dollar Brand aka Abdullah Ibrahim

What do the 1960s have in common with Mahlathini and Mahotella Queens? Mbaqanga and the Evolution of Modern Dance.

Mahotella Queens are still performing internationally even today and are excellent, colourful and energetic as ever and one of the most underrated acts in their own country. Their name Mahotella is Zulu for ‘Hotels’ (borrowed word) and they got it from touring and hotel hopping before they hit big time. Go to a lot of countries worldwide, if they don’t asked you about Lucky Dube, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba or Brenda Fassie they will ask you about Mahotella Queens.

By the 1960s, the saxophone was commonplace in jive music. This meant that white fans were unable to see their favorite musicians perform, because they were restricted to playing in the townships. The genre was called sax jive and later mbaqanga. A bass and vocal driven dance genre Mbaqanga literally means dumpling but implies home-made and was coined by Michael Xaba, a jazz saxophonist who did not like the new style. The early 1960s also saw performers like bassist Joseph Makwela and guitarist Marks Mankwane add electric instruments and marabi and kwela influences to the mbaqanga style, leading to a funkier and more African sound. Mbaqanga developed vocal harmonies during the very early 1960s when groups like The Skylarks and the Manhattan Brothers began copying American vocal bands, mostly doo wop

On The David Letterman Show, 1990

Simon 'Mahlathini' Nkabinde is perhaps the most influential and well-known South African "groaner" of the twentieth century who became the leading voice and the thorn amongst roses in Mahlathini and Mahotella Queens. Marks Mankwane and Joseph Makwela's mbaqanga innovations evolved into the more danceable mgqashiyo sound when the two joined forces with Mahlathini and the then new female group Mahotella Queens, in Mankwane's backing group Makhona Tsohle Band (also featuring Makwela along with saxophonist-turned-producer West Nkosi, rhythm guitarist Vivian Ngubane, and drummer Lucky Monama). The Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens/Makhona Tsohle outfit recorded as a studio unit for Gallo Record Company, to great national success, pioneering mgqashiyo music all over the country to equal success.

1967 saw the arrival of Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje, an mgqashiyo female group that provided intense competition for Mahotella Queens. Both groups were massive competitors in the jive field, though the Queens usually came out on top.