Few people outside South Africa had heard of isicathamiya before 1986. Then a choir of Zulu men in matching outfits sang on one of the best-selling albums of the decade.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo was formed in the early 1960s by Joseph Shabalala, a farm boy turned factory worker from the Ladysmith area of what is now KwaZulu-Natal. The name combines the town, the black ox, a symbol of strength, and the axe, mambazo, for the way they cut down the competition in singing contests.
Isicathamiya
The group sings isicathamiya, an a cappella style developed by Zulu migrant workers in the hostels of South Africa’s cities. Singers performed in all-night competitions after long working weeks. The style uses close harmonies, deep bass voices and soft, tiptoeing dance steps. The name comes from a Zulu word suggesting stepping softly.
Shabalala said the group’s distinctive harmonies came to him in dreams. Under his leadership, Ladysmith won competition after competition through the 1960s and 1970s and began recording albums that sold well at home.
Graceland
In 1985, Paul Simon travelled to Johannesburg to record with South African musicians. He worked with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on “Homeless”, which Simon and Shabalala wrote together, and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”. Graceland was released in 1986 and became a huge international success.
The project was controversial. The United Nations cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa discouraged such collaborations, and critics accused Simon of breaking it. Supporters argued that the album gave black South African musicians a world stage.
Global career
Ladysmith toured with Simon and launched their own international career. Their album Shaka Zulu, produced by Simon, won a Grammy in 1988. The group won further Grammy Awards in later years and appeared in films, adverts and at major events around the world.
Tragedy and continuity
The group endured personal losses, including the murder of Shabalala’s wife Nellie in 2002. Shabalala retired from touring in 2014 and handed the leadership to his sons, several of whom sing in the group. He died in February 2020.
The sound
Listen to Ladysmith and you hear voices doing what instruments usually do: bass lines, rhythms, harmonies, all from human throats.
The migrant workers who sang in hostels after long shifts did it to stay human. Ladysmith carried that sound from the hostels to concert halls around the world.
