Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black Mambazo in concert at the Ravinia Festival, Illinois 2006
Background information
Origin	Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Genres	Isicathamiya, mbube
Years active	1960–64 (original group) 1964–present (current incarnation)
Labels	Gallo, Warner Bros., Shanachie, Wrasse, Heads Up International, Listen2
Website	www.mambazo.com
Members	Joseph Shabalala Thamsanqa Shabalala Sibongiseni Shabalala Thulani Shabalala Msizi Shabalala Albert Mazibuko Abednego Mazibuko Russel Mthembu Ngane Dlamini
Past members	Jockey Shabalala Jabulani Dubazana Inos Phungula Ben Shabalala Geophrey Mdletshe Headman Shabalala Milton Mazibuko Funokwakhe Mazibuko Joseph Mazibuko Walter Malinga Matovoti Msimanga

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African male choral group that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including four Grammy Awards. They were formed by Joseph Shabalala in 1960 and later became one of South Africa's most prolific recording artists, with their releases receiving gold and platinum disc honors. The group has now become a mobile academy, teaching people about South Africa and its culture.

Joseph Shabalala formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo because of a series of dreams he had in 1964, in which he heard certain isicathamiya harmonies (isicathamiya being the traditional music of the Zulu people). Following their local success at wedding ceremonies and other gatherings, Shabalala entered them into isicathamiya competitions. The group was described as 'so good' that they were eventually forbidden to enter the competitions, but welcomed to entertain at them. Although they had been recognised as an isicathamiya group in 1964, they had been singing together since the early 1950s. They released their first album, Amabutho, in 1973. The album, along with many other releases by the group, received gold disc certification. Ladysmith Black Mambazo's collaboration with Paul Simon in 1986 paved the way for international releases.

The first incarnation of Ladysmith Black Mambazo was "Ezimnyama" ("The Black Ones"), formed by Joseph Shabalala in December 1960. The members of the group were relatives (mostly brothers and cousins) of Shabalala, with many having sung with him while he was growing up on the farm where he was born. Although the group did sing well together and captured the sound of cothoza mfana ("tiptoe boys", a 1960s slang term for isicathamiya) and mbube groups of the time, they were unknown outside of the Ladysmith district.

In 1964, Shabalala had a series of recurring dreams during his sleep, over a period of six months, featuring a choir singing in perfect harmony. Shabalala described this as a beautiful sound, and one not yet achieved by his group of the time. As a result, he reformed the group, bringing on board newer (younger) relatives but keeping the group name. He strove to teach them the harmonies from his dreams, creating what was to become a signature tune for the group: "Nomathemba" (a girl's name - meaning "hope"). After deciding that this group well replicated the beautiful, soft sounds from his dreams, Shabalala entered the group into isicathamiya competitions, held on Saturday nights in the halls of hostels in Durban and Johannesburg. The group managed to win nearly every competition that was held. As a result, Shabalala decided to change the name of the group to be more descriptive of its talent. The name "Ezimnyama" was replaced by "Ladysmith Black Mambazo".