Ladysmith Black Mambazo
From Ladysmith
Popularity
Ladysmith Black Mambazo has 5 upcoming shows in the Netherlands. The next one is on December 9, 2026 at PHIL Haarlem, Haarlem. All 5 tour dates
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About
Also known as: Ladismith Black Mambasa, Ladysmith Black Mambozo, Ladysmith Black Mazembe, Ladysmith Black Mombazo
Few choirs have crossed over into global consciousness the way Ladysmith Black Mambazo did when Paul Simon brought them to London to record for his 1986 album Graceland. The South African male choral group, formed by Joseph Shabalala in 1960 in Ladysmith, KwaZulu Natal, sings in the traditional Zulu styles of isicathamiya and mbube, and their harmonies are unlike anything else out there. Their name says it all: the hometown, the black ox as a symbol of strength, and mambazo meaning "axe" in Zulu, a nod to how thoroughly they chopped down every competitor they faced. Long before Simon came calling, they were already legends at home. Their debut album Amabutho was the first record by a Black South African artist or group to go gold. Five Grammy Awards followed over the years, with the fifth dedicated to Nelson Mandela. They have since become something of a living archive of South African cultural heritage, keeping isicathamiya alive for audiences worldwide. Recent uploads including "Homeless" and "Ungikhumbule" suggest the group is still very much active.
