Vusi Sidney Mahlasela Ka Zwane was born in 1965 in Lady Selbourne, near Pretoria, and grew up in Mamelodi township, where he still resides. Vusi…
Artist Profiles: Vusi Mahlasela
Tag: South Africa
Artist Profiles: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Headed by charismatic founder/composer Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is Africa’s number one selling recording group. The name of the group comes from the city…
Artist Profiles: Lucky Dube
While successful reggae artists have traditionally hailed from the Island of Jamaica, over the decades of the 1980s and 1990s South African native Lucky Dube…
Artist Profiles: Juluka
Juluka was a trailblazing band based in Johannesburg, South Africa, led by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. The band formed in the early 1970s and…
Artist Profiles: Johnny Clegg
Johnny Clegg, born in Rochdale, England in 1953 was raised in his mother’s native land of Zimbabwe before emigrating to South Africa at the age…
Artist Profiles: Abdullah Ibrahim
Some knew him as Dollar Brand, others by his adopted moniker of Abdullah Ibrahim, which he began using in the late 1960s after his conversion…
Artist Profiles: Dizu Zungulu Plaatjies
The son of an African herbalist, vocalist, percussionist and dancer Dizu Zungulu Plaatjies was born on 5 February 1957. His parents called him Zungulu, ‘the…
Artist Profiles: Mzwandile Qotoyi
Mzwandile Qotoyi – Bass & piccolo marimba, African drums, percussion, vocals, and dance. Born on 12 November 1951, in Langa, multi-instrumentalist Mzwandile Qotoyi is known…
Artist Profiles: Simpiwe Matole
Simpiwe Matole – Soprano marimba, vocals, dance/acrobatics. Born on 29 May 1963, Simpiwe Matole is the only boy in a family of daughters and was…
Artist Profiles: Michael ‘Nkululeku’ Ludonga
Michael ‘Nkululeku’ Ludonga – African drums, tenor marimba, vocals, dance. Born on 15 November 1962, in Langa, drummer and marimba player Michael ‘Nkululeku’ Ludonga was…