Classic Mbaqanga Girl Groups – Vol. 2

The black South African music scene of the 1960s and ‘70s was dominated by a unique electric jive sound that was later christened mbaqanga. For almost its entire near-twenty year rule over the country, mbaqanga’s most distinctive feature was the all-female close harmony sound, sometimes augmented by the booming bass vocals of a gruff male singer. The girl group of South Africa was partly modelled on the girl group of the USA. The smooth arrangements of The Andrews Sisters, the tight harmonies of The Shirelles and the sex appeal of The Supremes – combined with a modern African twist – helped to create such memorable groups such as the Dark City Sisters, the Mahotella Queens, Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje, and countless others that still sit fondly in the memories and minds of many today, young and old. Today, Electric Jive presents another special mix of tunes: Classic Mbaqanga Girl Groups – Vol. 2.

In our first installment, we elaborated extensively on the histories of these wonderful groups, so we shall not repeat ourselves. Vol. 2 contains recordings from the artists mentioned above (and many more), released between 1962 and 1981. This mix is bookended by the ladies who started it all – the Dark City Sisters, with two wonderful ballads from 1968 and 1962 (the latter recorded under one of their other pseudonyms, the Killingstone Stars) sandwiching this mbaqanga feast. The Sisters also bring us a tune from 1981, by which time they had conformed to the mbaqanga sound of that particular era – but the golden voices of Joyce Mogatusi, Doris Ntuli and Grace Moeketsi still shine through wonderfully.

The ones who took the torch from the Sisters and kept it burning brightly throughout mbaqanga’s heyday, the Mahotella Queens, are represented generously here with several classic numbers, all of them sublime – and three of them recorded using their other pseudonyms: Soweto Stars, Izintombi Zomqashiyo and Dima Sisters, spotlighting the voices of various members including Olive Masinga, Hilda Tloubatla, Ethel Mngomezulu and Thoko Mdlalose. The Mahlathini Girls are here as well with two numbers fronted by male singer Joe Mdluli (something of an irony considering the group’s name…), as are Mahlathini’s wonderful backing group The Queens (led by Mildred Mangxola), with a small selection of enjoyable tunes. Irene Mawela, that saccharine-voiced sweetheart of the 1970s, features in our mix with something of a diversion: her voice may well be the only female presence in the line-up The Zebras, but it is a wonderful number well worthy of inclusion, and in any case, Mawela herself was a massive contributor to the ‘70s girl group. She also appears on two classic 1973 recordings made with the Mgababa Queens, contained in this mix and categorised “Soul Vocal Jazz” on the original label.

So… let’s hear it for the girls. More biographical information on these (and associated) artists can be found elsewhere on Electric Jive… but feel free to post any thoughts or queries in the comments section. All that remains to be said is... enjoy! YEBO!!

Classic Mbaqanga Girl Groups - Vol. 2
1. ONTSEKISANG – DARK CITY SISTERS (1968)
2. OH! BABA OMKHULU – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1972)
3. NKHONO OAKA – THE ZEBRAS (1976)
4. NGIZOKWENZANI MAHLALELA – SOWETO STARS (1968)
5. SIDL’ IMALI ZETHU – MGABABA QUEENS (1973)
6. IZINDABA ZABANTU – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1973)
7. UMFOKANKOSI – MAHLATHINI AND THE QUEENS (1976)
8. UTHULI LWEZICHWE – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1977)
9. HHEM, HHEM, HHEM – MTHUNZINI GIRLS (1971)
10. KEBA BONE – THE QUEENS (1977)
11. MAJAZANA – MTHUNZINI GIRLS (1972)
12. MAMA ZALA – MAHLATHINI GIRLS (1975)
13. KUDALA BEKUSHO – THE QUEENS (1977)
14. AKULALWA ESOWETO – MGABABA QUEENS (1973)
15. SUZIE UYANGIPHOXA – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1979)
16. LERATO LARONA – DARK CITY SISTERS (1981)
17. TSHEPO – S’MORDEN GIRLS (1980)
18. UMZIMBA OKHALIMALI – THE QUEENS (1977)
19. LAKHALA IQHUDE – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1972)
20. WAKHALA UMNTWANA – MAHLATHINI GIRLS (1976)
21. THATHU KISI – DARK CITY SISTERS (1966)
22. BUYA BUYA – SOWETO STARS (1966)
23. USIKHESHE KHESHE – IZINTOMBI ZOMQASHIYO (1968)
24. THEMBELENKOSINI – DIMA SISTERS (1964)
25. EMANXIWENI – KILLINGSTONE STARS (1962)

RS / MF

Spotlight on... Mahlathini

Today, July 27, marks 12 years since the untimely passing of one of South Africa’s greats – Simon ‘Mahlathini’ Nkabinde.

We at Electric Jive are paying tribute to Mahlathini in the first of a new, occasional series of posts entitled ‘Spotlight on…’. With this irregular series, we will be focusing on particular artists or groups who have contributed greatly to the rich musical history of Africa – and who better to kick-start this series than the King of the Groaners himself?

Simon Nkabinde was born in Alexandra township in November 1938 into a Zulu-Swazi family. Singing came naturally to the young Simon, who slowly but surely built up a reputation with his handsome voice. His talent blossomed and grew, and before long he was leading mbube choirs at Zulu wedding ceremonies. It was during one such festivity that a life-changing event literally occurred. An expressive number managed to help break Simon's voice into what he later called a gruff. The fiercely-traditional Nkabinde parents believed he had been "witched", but an isangoma provided the simple explanation that Simon was merely growing up. The gruff was here to stay!

His singing career brought to an untimely halt, Simon continued with his schooling until his parents died. Struggling to cope with the costs, he left school and looked for work. His brother Zeph was a regular member of a local pennywhistle group, Black Mambazo, which was recruited for commercial recording by EMI's black music producer Rupert Bopape around 1956. Aaron 'Big Voice Jack' Lerole, one of Mambazo's pennywhistlers and vocalists, had been using deep, guttural groaning vocals in street performances since the group's inception to attract attention, and Bopape decided to use this strange sound at the start of (and during) the group's recordings as a commercial gimmick. Jack was not a natural baritone and the straining put immense pressure on his throat - not to mention the various illegal substances he'd take to "enhance" the groaning. Zeph was a much more natural baritone and often stood in Jack's place. Simon, who was having little luck holding a job down, had had little to do with singing for quite some time, but Zeph realised that Simon's gruff may just be the key to his success. He convinced Simon to develop his own groaning and then auditioned him for the big boss. Rupert Bopape was impressed and it was around 1959/1960 that Simon joined the team of musicians at EMI, often fronting the legendary Dark City Sisters.

Simon began building up a new musical reputation and was soon affectionately known to his contemporaries and to the masses as "Mahlathini"... he who comes from the forest... the man with a voice like a goat... the Main Man... the Bull...

Mahlathini was among the handful or so of musicians who accompanied Bopape when he moved from EMI to Gallo in 1964. The newly-formed Mavuthela Music Company needed three things to gain some form of success: 1) a house band; 2) a female vocal team for the band to back; 3) and a groaner to front the vocal team. The house band, later named the Makgona Tsohle Band, came together with immense ease (fronted by Marks Mankwane on electric lead guitar, and Joseph Makwela on electric bass). The vocal team, under a wide variety of different pop-group-names (the most famous being the Mahotella Queens), was comprised of ten or so female singers. Mahlathini completed the triumvirate and music magic was to occur.

From the start, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens proved they were worth their collective weight in gold. The hits came fast and thick throughout the productive period of 1964 to 1971... from "Umoya" to "Sithunyiwe"... from "Umkhonto" to "Basibon' Izithutha"... from "Igugu Lezwe" to "Bophumthwalo"... and from "Uyavutha Umlilo" to "Sabela Zwide". Their public appearances were viewed through the eyes of a mad frenzy of kids, teens and adults.

Even when Mahlathini broke from Gallo-Mavuthela in 1971, his popularity refused to wane. He joined the Satbel Record Company under producer Cambridge Matiwane in 1973/4, where the golden gruff reigned supreme with such gems as "Ngibuzindlela", "Amagoduka" and "Bayasimemeza". All of these hits uncovered a newfound energy in the ibhodlo which had only been glimpsed before.

A reunion with his old musical companions at Mavuthela in 1983 and a meeting with two French talent scouts in 1987 opened up another chapter in Simon's life and catapulted Mahlathini to the world en masse... but it is the early success that the great groaner encountered that we spotlight today. It would be madness, however, to gloss over the injustice he suffered at the hands of greedy people with all the power.

Simon died on 27 July 1999, aged 61, following complications with a diabetic condition that had reduced his health to naught over the course of the entire 1990s.

Exploitation denied this great man the chance to reap the benefits of his life’s work – exploitation first from producer Rupert Bopape in the studio in the ‘60s, then from manager West Nkosi on the world tours of the ‘80s. At the time of his death, Simon Nkabinde should have been a rich man by rights. In reality, he had only a few rands to his name, and the only property he owned was a small three-roomed house. As Hugh Masekela once lamented, Mahlathini was so poor he didn’t even own a bicycle.

However, Nkabinde’s lasting legacy is that he is still remembered well into the 21st century for his iconic performance, decades after all those classic recordings and live shows. Courtesy of YouTube, here is a selection of music videos from after the international breakthrough - all of them well worth checking out:

Thokozile (1987)
Gazette (1988)
Mbaqanga (1991)
Stop Crying (1991)
Umuntu Ngumuntu (1999)

Electric Jive also plays its part, providing a modest but well-intended tribute to Nkabinde via the sharing of much of his early out-of-print work, hoping to keep the memory of King Mahlathini alive for years to come. To illustrate this point, we present to you the latest in a long line of Electric Jive mixes, featuring 25 classic Mahlathini songs recorded between 1966 and 1979, at the height of his early career.

Enjoy... ladum' izulu!

Tracklist

1. NGIBUZINDLELA (1974)
2. ILELE INSIZWA (1974)
3. IGUGU LEZWE – with the Mahotella Queens (1972)
4. UMKHONTO – with the Mthunzini Girls (1966)
5. AMAKHAMANDELA – with the Mthunzini Girls (1966)
6. SABELA ZWIDE (1970)
7. ISINYOLOVANE – with the Soweto Stars (1966)
8. UMNUMZANE – with the Mthunzini Girls (1968)
9. AMAGODUKA – with The Queens (1974)
10. ISIDWABA – with The Queens (1979)
11. ABANGANI BAMI – with Izintombi Zomgqashiyo (1969)
12. BOPHUMTHWALO – with the Mahotella Queens (1970)
13. IMBODLOMANE (1967)
14. INYAMA – with Abafana Bezi Modern (1966)
15. SHWELE BABA (1970)
16. BAYASIMENMEZA – with The Queens (1974)
17. KUMNANDI EMGABABA – with The Queens (1974)
18. SIYANIBINGELELA (1979)
19. UYAVUTHA UMLILO – with the Mahotella Queens (1971)
20. LADUM’ IZULU – with The Queens (1976)
21. BASIBON’ IZITHUTHA – with Izintombi Zomgqashiyo (1969)
22. SHALUZA MAX – with the Mahotella Queens (1969)
23. MAFEHLEFEHLE – with the Mahotella Queens (1968)
24. AKEKHO (1979)
25. ITHEMBA ALIBULALI – with The Queens (1976)

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Electric Jive Office Party Mix 2010

An upbeat mix of South African (from 1950s, 60s and 70s) mbaqanga, funk, ska and jazz in celebration of the annual ‘office party’ here in Durban. Slipped into this hour-long continuous assortment is a number of tracks from 78rpm records recently added to a small collection.

Mkhumbane in Durban (1956) by G.R. Naidoo

After a fine mbaqanga-esque introduction from 70s cult radio persona, ‘Wouter Marais’, we kick off with classic mbaqanga from Jospeh Makwela and his Comrades – same personnel as the legendary Makgona Tsohle band, plus West Nkosi on lead saxophone. Next up is a teaser from a second Izintombi Zomoya album we hope to share with you in the new year.

The mix changes gear into another sneak preview, this time Almon Memela’s simply sublime A.M. Stragglers. The album “Soul Bandit” was recorded in 1969. After Dick Khoza’s fantastic “African Jive” ("Chapita" on special offer at Matsuli) the dancefloor slants back towards mbaqanga, landing up with two recently found tracks on 78rpm from the Killingstone Stars. The Makhona Zonke band get us jiving before Kippie Moeketsi pops up, clarinet in hand.

On the home straight we embark upon a few 78rpm cultural warps, which if we must be honest, are quite easily accommodated in South African music (today is the national day of reconciliation) … Niek Potgieter and his konsertina doing an Elvis cover; Ted Heath and His Music versioning “Sarie Marais” into a rendition of “Tom Hark”, followed by Louis Armstrong’s joyful (instrumental) ‘Skokiaan’. The last track in this offering is the only one recorded after the 1970s, but serves as a great “book-end”.

Not too long ago I had the pleasure of experiencing Guy Buttery and Madala Kunene play an inspiring set – Durban is still blessed with some special people and musicians. “Sibanisizwe” comes off Guy’s recent album “Foxhill Lane” – it won the 2010 SAMA Award for best instrumental album. 

Guy Buttery's Album

Contact Guy here and he will post you one – you won’t be sorry.

Electricjive Durban Office Party 2010

1. Intro – from Wouter Marais’ Totally Ridiculous
2. Matamato Jive Matamato - JOSEPH MAKWELA & HIS COMRADES
3. Tlapa Le Wela Bodiben - JOSEPH MAKWELA & HIS COMRADES (1967)
4. Esandleni Sokhoho – IZINITOMBI ZOMOYA (1977)
5. Fully Licensed – A.M. STRAGGLERS
6. Blue Pumps – A.M. STRAGGLERS (1969)
7. Easy – ELITE SWINGSTERS (1968?)
8. African Jive (Moto) – DICK KHOZA (1976)
9. Respect is Important – REGGIE MSOMI (1976)
10. Sunlight Soap Ad – MVN STUDIOS
11. Evelyn – THE KILLINGSTONE STARS
12. Lalela Mntanami – THE KILLINGSTONE STARS
13. Phata Six – MAKHONE ZONKE BAND (1979)
14. Clarinet Kwela – KIPPIE MOEKETSI AND THE MARABI KINGS
15. Funky Mama – THE ELITE SWINGSTERS
16. Hart van Steen (Wooden Heart) – NIEK POTGIETER EN SY KONSERTINA
17. Tom Hark – TED HEATH AND HIS MUSIC
18. Skokiaan – LOUIS ARMSTRONG
19. My Boy Lollipop – ELITE SWINGSTERS
20. Suikerbossie – STAN MURRAY (1975)
21. Sibanisezwe – GUY BUTTERY (2010)

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