Happy 400 from Electric Jive!

It might surprise you to know that this is the 400th post on Electric Jive. In fact, we at EJ HQ realised our 400th was coming only in the last week or so. It's really a bit of a milestone for us and one that we felt shouldn't go unnoticed. But we've decided it's better to give than to receive - so what better way to mark 400 posts than offering our readers another compilation of wonderful '60s and '70s South African vocal jive 45s?!

The Dark City Sisters, that wonderful group of wonderful dames, open this celebration with their 1968 hit "Nice Time". Though the Mahotella Queens had taken the crown upon their 1964 formation, the Sisters were unmoved and continued to fly their mighty flag up high under the stewardship of Joyce Mogatusi and her fellow songbirds Grace Msika, Esther Khoza and Audrey Zwane. The Sisters continued to perform and record for a further 40 years - by the end, only on a very small, local circuit - until the death of lead vocalist Joyce Mogatusi in July 2012. Grace Msika, now in her mid-70s, has retired from singing but still remembers and hails the magical voice of her late best friend whose talent put the Dark City Sisters on the map.

"Dikuku" was a huge Sotho vocal hit in 1968. Composed by singer Virginia Teffo and performed by John Moriri and the Mthunzini Girls (but released under their other recording name Izingane Zo Mgqashiyo), the song simply celebrates the tasty cakes prepared to be eaten at traditional wedding ceremonies. As the John and the girls sing, the cakes are delicious but marriage is a tough nut to crack. Apart from Virginia, the original Mthunzini Girls - Julia Yende, Windy Sibeko and Teddy Nkutha - had actually resigned not long before this recording was made and were now recording for Isibaya Music as Izintombi Zentuthuko. Virginia was kept at Mavuthela by boss Rupert Bopape, who eventually became father to her children. Although Bopape officially retired in 1979, he continued to write songs and travel to the Gallo studios until the early 1980s. Virginia continued popping in and out of the Mahotella Queens until Bopape entered his old age and settled in Limpopo.

Though "Intlonipho" is credited to the Mthunzini Girls, it is really performed by the Mahotella Queens. Juliet Mazamisa, the composer of the tune, joined the Mahotella Queens in 1965 as their alto vocalist. She had arrived at the Gallo studios with fire in her belly. Her family members had turned on her, furious and jealous that she wanted to express herself in some artistic way. In the Mahotella Queens, she found love and support from her fellow singers. In 1969, Juliet was among the handful of Queens who quit Mavuthela to join Isibaya, recording as Amakhosazana (princesses). They moved again after less than a year, this time over to Teal Records - "Mapule" was recorded there in 1971 - and after a further few years unsigned, Amakhosazana split. Juliet then joined John Moriri and the Manzini Girls over at Satbel to make a dozen wonderful recordings; "Ciyongi Khumbula" is another Mazamisa composition, featuring both John and Manzini Girl Joana Thango on lead vocal duties. But it was only right that Juliet, a wonderful raconteur and a truly natural actress, would try her hand at television drama once the SABC had developed its African TV business. Until her retirement in 2000, Juliet lit up the screen with her sizzling personality in a bevy of serious TV dramas and comedies.

The star that had once shone so brightly during the mid-1950s had more or less faded after the rapid changes in the music scene and a botched goitre operation, and by 1965, Mabel Mafuya found herself at something of a dead-end. So she got in touch with top producer Rupert Bopape, who agreed to sign the big name to Mavuthela. "Intombi Yami" is one of the few sides she recorded with the Mahotella Queens, then on the cusp of becoming the country's most popular group, but not even they could help to bring Mabel to the same heights of fame she enjoyed a decade previously. It wasn't until the advent of the SABC's black television production that Mabel, like Juliet Mazamisa, was able to successfully breakthrough into another market.

1970's "Sebokeng Sa Dipina" represents the time when the Mahotella Queens name was at its highest peak - the only problem was that the original line-up had just quit to form Amakhosazana over at Isibaya, so Rupert Bopape found himself having to rebuild the group on the orders of Gallo executives, who didn't want their most popular African group to disappear overnight. Until Hilda Tloubatla came back to the group after her brief maternity leave, Phyllis Zwane took over the reigns as lead singer. But Phyllis' vocal range was not nearly as powerful or distinctive as Hilda's, so Bopape moved her around Mavuthela until she was able to find her niche. By the time Phyllis recorded "Segametse" with Izintombi Zomoya in 1975, she was still trying to develop a lead singing voice but was ultimately drowned out by those who possessed more memorable voices, such as Hilda, Julia Yende, Sannah Mnguni, Joyce Mogatusi, Emily Zwane and Irene Mawela.

Irene provides the feminine touch to the testosterone-fuelled "Shona Phansi Ndoda", an ode to the hardworking men digging for gold and diamonds in South Africa's mines. The song is credited to Mahabula Joza but it is really Irene along with members of top male mbaqanga group Abafana Baseqhudeni. Their lead singer, Robert 'Mbazo' Mkhize, features on two other hits in this compilation: "Ngiyayithanda Lentombi", a brilliant solo effort from 1973, and as the male lead singer in the fantastic "Usapho" by Dulcie Luthuli and her group Abalilizeli. Mbazo, Boy Nze, Tshabalala, Mazambane, Mabhawodi and countless others were actually following in the footsteps of the original king of the groaners - the main man himself, Simon 'Mahlathini' Nkabinde. The lion roars with all his might in "Basibon' Izithutha" (performed with the Mahotella Queens) and "Sabela Zwide" (a duo with the aforementioned Boy Nze).

We at Electric Jive sincerely hope you've enjoyed our posts over the past six years - how astounding to realise we've been going that long already! - and while 400 certainly doesn't have the robustness of a figure such as... for instance, 500... it's still humbling to reach such a target. I say with pride and not arrogance - truly - that Electric Jive holds an important position within the online movement towards the preservation and celebration of South African music from the 1950s through the 1980s. We'll carry on documenting this great country's rich musical heritage and sharing the out-of-print sounds of the past for as long as we possibly can.

Here's to the next 400! :)

ELECTRIC JIVE 400
COMPILED BY NICK LOTAY

01) DARK CITY SISTERS - NICE TIME (1968)
02) IZINGANE ZO MGQASHIYO - DIKUKU (1968)
03) MABEL MAFUYA AND THE QUEENS - INTOMBI YAMI (1965)
04) MTHUNZINI GIRLS - INTLONIPHO (1966)
05) SIMANJE MANJE - AWUSIBONI (1967)
06) IZINTOMBI ZESI MANJE MANJE - THEMBA MASOMBUKA (1966)
07) MAHLATHINI & IZINTOMBI ZO MGQASHIYO - BASIBON' IZITHUTHA (1969)
08) MAHLATHINI AND RHYTHM - SABELA ZWIDE (1972)
09) UMFANA WEMBAZO - NGIYAYITHANDA LENTOMBI (1973)
10) MAHOTELLA QUEENS - SEBOKENG SA DIPINA (1970)
11) DULCIE LUTHULI NABALILIZELI - USAPHO (1971)
12) MAKHOSAZANA - MAPULE (1971)
13) IZINTOMBI ZOMOYA - SEGAMETSE (1975)
14) JULIET, JOHN MORIRI & MANZINI GIRLS - CIYONGI KHUMBULA (1975)
15) JOHN MORIRI AND MANZINI GIRLS - ISITHUKUTHUKU SENJA SIPHELELA EBOYENI (1977)
16) MAHABULA JOZA - SHONA PHANSI NDODA (1976)
17) MSHIKISHI NAMAGUGU - NANGOMKHWENYANE (1977)
18) BOY NZE - SICELA INDLELA ESIBAYENI (1976)
19) THE QUEENS & NDLONDLO BASHISE BAND - TSETLANA (1976)
20) THE MAHLATHINI GIRLS - NGIZOSHONA PHI (1977)

Download link: MF

New Year Jive! An EJ Special

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Electric Jive!

We hope you’ve been enjoying the festive treats shared throughout December – and it is my pleasure to bring 2014 on EJ to a close with a smashing goody bag of 1960s and 1970s mbaqanga. Whether you’re ringing in the New Year with a celebratory party or doing something rather low key does not matter one iota – whatever your situation, our New Year Jive is the compilation that you NEED to be playing at full volume (and dancing along to) when the clock strikes twelve!

The girl group and groaner combination almost exclusively dominated the black pop music scene of 1960s and 1970s South Africa. The origins of the trend go back to the late 1950s with the birth of a girl group factory-line, the slow development of jive and the ultimate decline of intricate African jazz. Electric instrumentation arrived at the right time and the foundations of mbaqanga were laid. The tame early electric jive soon advanced into the now familiar rock-solid elastic mbaqanga, personified by fierceness, energy and thunder. Ensembles like the Sweet Sixteens and the Dark City Sisters successfully paved the way for the Mahotella Queens, who in turn influenced the formation of Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje, and on and on the story goes. Key to the success of the new mbaqanga girl groups were the strong-willed and determined studio producers (or ‘talent scouts’) who ran tight ships, encouraged a factory-line approach to music making and held close relationships with people in the right places – which ensured mbaqanga music was almost vehemently propagated across the state broadcaster’s Radio Bantu service. Although this chagrined the African elite, mbaqanga was already becoming a national craze and the black public firmly embraced the music in very much the same way their counterparts in the United States embraced the Motown sound.

“Utshodo Lumantwengu” is a fantastic example of mid-1960s girl group mbaqanga. This tune, telling the story of a girl fighting off the advances of a romeo hobo, was recorded in 1966 by Nobesuthu and Gcaba Twins. This shortlived trio produced a number of up-tempo vocal jives during 1965 and 1966 before the main singer – Nobesuthu Shawe – joined the rival Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje in 1967. One of Izintombi’s first big hits was “Pendula Magwala”, a fast-paced number with thrilling drum patterns and tightly layered vocal harmonies. Izintombi’s lead singer was Sannah Mnguni – who by 1972 had built up enough recognition and popularity to feel able to quit the group and form a brand-new ensemble named Amagugu. Sannah’s notoriety is celebrated in a collaboration with Zulu-traditional guitarist Frans Msomi and violinist Ncane Ndlovu, the appropriately-titled “Sannah”.

Although Izintombi tried and sometimes even overtook them in the popularity stakes, the Mahotella Queens were South Africa’s most popular girl group of the mid-to-late 1960s and early 1970s, releasing a string of hugely successful singles (on both 78 and 45rpm) and performing in venues ranging from wedding parties to huge soccer stadiums. “Jive Jibav No. 7” tells every boy and girl in the country to take part in the latest dance craze, while “Isigubhu Sabalozi No. 2” – the 1972 follow-up to a huge 1970 hit of the same name – emphatically states that the tough Mavuthela mgqashiyo beat shall never die. By the mid-1970s, the Queens’ tour schedule was so hectic that a number of other vocalists kept their name going on record. A multi-tracked Irene Mawela performs “Uthando Luyisilima” alongside Potatoes Zuma, aka Indoda Mbhodlomane, a wonderful bass vocalist but someone whose stage name rides the waves of that true king of the groaners, Indoda Mahlathini.

Two other groaners following in Mahlathini’s footsteps were Umfana Wembazo – real name Robert Mkhize – and Boy Nze – otherwise known as Lazarus Magatole. Mbazo’s vocals can be heard punctuating the chorus in Dulcie Luthuli Nabalilizeli’s “Ntomb’uthini” and in his own splendid solo effort, “Maye Mina”. Boy Nze’s “Uzobuya” isn’t one to miss either – it’s perhaps one of the finest solo records from a male vocalist that I’ve ever heard.

Alongside the Queens at Mavuthela were junior bands, some of whom over the years included the Mthunzini Girls, Izintombi Zomoya, Umgungundlovu Dolls, Love Birds and many others. The Mthunzini Girls borrow from the US and inject soul into the mbaqanga brew – Paulina Zulu is the lead singer on (and songwriter of) “Tsohang” and “Ikele Ngoaneso”, two downright funky Sotho tunes that should at least make your foot tap. Izintombi Zomoya’s “Isilomo” – a fantastically rapid tune with animated vocals and excellent lively instrumentation – should also stir your soul.

A few more notable highlights for me - "Orlando", featuring the perennial vocal sound of the Dark City Sisters in all their mid-1960s glory, with Esther Khoza shouting words of praise for the Orlando Pirates; the group's 1976 Sotho ode "Dikgarebe" with Grace Msika's mid-song chant and Joyce Mogatusi's inimitable alto; "Daly", from the somewhat unknown Lesotho Sisters, just for the delightfully swish three-part harmonies; "Sophie" by Izingane Zomgqashiyo and its sweet lead guitar patterns; the strength of vocal passion in the Umgungundlovu Dolls' "Vuka Uvale"; the archetypal electric elasticity in all its glory in Reggie Msomi's Love Birds' "Uzwakanjani"; and the effective simplicity of the all-too-short "Umhlaba Awunoni" from Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje under another name.

So that’s all from Electric Jive for the moment. Whatever the New Year brings, you can rest assured we'll still be doing our utmost best to bring the sounds of yesteryear back to the forefront where they belongs. We're very grateful for all the support and appreciation you send our way - we just do it for the music and the people who created it all. So... download the following mix of mbaqanga heaven and clear the floor, ready to jive until you drop.

See you in 2015!

Enjoy!

NEW YEAR JIVE!
COMPILED BY NICK LOTAY

01) NOBESUTHU AND GCABA TWINS – UTSHODO LUMANTWENGU (1966)
02) DARK CITY SISTERS – ORLANDO (c1965)
03) S’MODERN QUEENS – PENDULA MAGWALA (1967)
04) MARULA BOOM STARS – JIVE JIBAV NO. 7 (1965)
05) LESOTHO SISTERS – DALY (c1966)
06) IZINGANE ZOMGQASHIYO – SOPHIE (1968)
07) IZINTOMBI ZOMOYA – ISILOMO (1972)
08) BOY NZE – UZOBUYA (1971)
09) DULCIE LUTHULI NABALILIZELI – NTOMB’UTHINI (1971)
10) MSOMI AND AMAGUGU – SANNAH (1977)
11) UMGUNGUNDLOVU DOLLS – VUKA UVALE (1970)
12) MTHUNZINI GIRLS – TSOHANG (1972)
13) IZINTOMBI ZESI MANJE MANJE – SHE KEEPS ON KNOCKING (1974)
14) MTHUNZINI GIRLS – IKELE NGOANESO (1972)
15) AMAQHAWE – UMHLABA AWUNONI (1974)
16) DARK CITY SISTERS – DIKGAREBE (1976)
17) MAHOTELLA QUEENS – ISIGUBHU SABALOZI NO. 2 (1972)
18) INDODA MBHODLOMANE & MAHOTELLA QUEENS - UTHANDO LUYISILIMA (1974)
19) UMFANA WEMBAZO – MAYE MINA (1974)
20) REGGIE MSOMI’S LOVE BIRDS – UZWAKANJANI (1977)

MF

A Mavuthela Christmas - Part Two

ABOVE - AN EXCERPT OF AN LP COVER FEATURING A CARICATURE OF MAVUTHELA'S POPULAR MAHOTELLA QUEENS IN 1972.

LEFT TO RIGHT: EMILY ZWANE, HILDA TLOUBATLA, OLIVE MASINGA, THANDI RADEBE AND THANDI KHESWA

At last… the concluding part of A Mavuthela Christmas is offered to Electric Jive readers all across the globe. In this mix of festive mbaqanga treats, we take a look at the astonishing talents of the male and female vocal groups that graced the Gallo studios during the Mavuthela era.

Sumptuous guitar work and traditional male vocals grace the tune of “Manyane Jive Part One”, a 1976 recording by the studio band Pops and Sons. The tune was written by the then-husband and wife team of Rupert Bopape and Irene Mawela, although the accomplished vocalist Mawela does not appear in this song. She does, however, lend her beautiful vocals to The Zebras’ “Selemo Sekene”, perhaps one of her most marvellous songs. The Zebras was another studio band that twisted the then-popular arrangement of female singers fronted by one male around on its head – in a unique and somewhat ironic throwback to the style that the female-led mbaqanga had replaced, The Zebras featured a selection of Mavuthela male singers who were fronted by one female (Irene). Sometimes, though, they managed to creep into the studio without Irene to record some fine classics, such as “Retsoa Daveyton”.

The mid-1970s gear shift towards male mbaqanga was not unusual – the female-led mbaqanga had dominated the country since at least the late 1950s, when the formula was arguably set by Miriam Makeba and The Skylarks. Rupert Bopape, who was then at EMI, sought to replicate that formula en masse for two reasons. Number one, The Skylarks sounded great; and number two, it might be more fun to turn the then-popular combination of four or five men with a single female lead right round on its head. Under his keen producing eye, some of the most popular groups were built up. Having had successes with the Dark City Sisters and the Killingstone Stars, his move to Gallo in 1964 saw him build up even bigger successes with the Mahotella Queens, the Mthunzini Girls and Izintombi Zomoya. But by 1974, the only successful female mbaqanga groups were the aforementioned bands and others that had been in existence for some years by then. Almost all the new female groups of the mid-1970s found little success. The biggest mbaqanga group of that decade was, unsurprisingly, a completely male line-up (perhaps the male equivalent of the Mahotella Queens) called Abafana Baseqhudeni. Abafana was not just comprised of male singers who blended well – all five of them were groaners who had built up their careers singing with female groups. Robert ‘Umfana Wembazo’ Mkhize was the leader of the group, and continued to make his own solo recordings while heading up Abafana. The group was extremely popular and productive until the rise of the disco-soul sound in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Experiments with a male-led mbaqanga happened as early on as the 1960s. The Black Mambazo (not related to the wonderful isicathamiya group from Ladysmith) combined their pennywhistle skills with their guttural moans and wails to create interesting material, and it became one of South Africa's most popular bands until tastes changed as the decade wore on, and their popularity faded. When Bopape moved to Gallo and ended up with several female units under his belt, he combined all the groaners of the lower-tier groups to create a male equivalent to Izintombi Zomoya – it was called, aptly, Izinsizwa Zomoya. Unfortunately, the group did not last long. It was not until Abafana came along in 1974 that the male-led mbaqanga really took the country by storm.

One of Mavuthela's most popular female groups (underneath the top-selling senior group, the Mahotella Queens) was the Mthunzini Girls. Originally a quartet consisting of Julia Yende (lead vocals), Windy Sibeko, Teddy Nkutha and Virginia Teffo, the group soared to the top with memorable hits like "Ngikhala Ngiya Baleka", "Gijima Mfana", "Sobonana Emafini" and other greats. John Moriri became the group's regular male vocalist in 1967. With John on lead vocals, they developed an even bigger stage presence with the likes of "Dikuku", "Tsabohadi", "Sedikwedikwe" and more. Around 1970 the line-up disintegrated, but the group was kept together by John. He recruited Beatrice Ngcobo to the group as the new lead singer alongside members Phyllis Zwane, Thandi Nkosi, Maseri Nombembe, Barbara Shabalala and others. Under this line-up, more effervescent jive hits were recorded - one of them, "Majazana", is included in this mix for your enjoyment.

In 1972, John Moriri left Mavuthela following Rupert Bopape's refusal to reimburse the group for a local tour. He went to Satbel Records and was joined by the members of the Mthunzini Girls, and they formed a new group which released phenomenally high-selling hits under the name John Moriri and Manzini Girls. Back at Mavuthela, singer Julia Yende returned to the studios, and - as the Mthunzini Girls were now recording under another name for another company - joined Izintombi Zomoya as their new lead vocalist. She leads the great and soulful 1975 tune "Phuma Makoti".

The signature female mbaqanga group, the Mahotella Queens, also makes its appearance on this compilation. Their trademark vocal sound is put to effective use in the song “Wamuhle Makoti”, a song written by regular Queens vocalist Olive Masinga about the beauty of a young bride-to-be. It is a wonderful arrangement, with a rather large-sounding assortment of the usual vocalists (Rupert Bopape would often squeeze as many as seven or eight vocalists into the studio for Mahotella Queens recordings!) as well as the male backing vocals of Robert Mkhize and Elphas Ray Mkize. The Queens also feature here twice more. The ladies (under a slightly different combination of singers) sing the 1970 song “Morabaraba”, with its feisty mgqashiyo “no-nonsense” arrangement. There is also a tune here by Emily Zwane and The Sweet Sounds from 1974 – a pseudonym which is actually the Mahotella Queens fronted by lead singer Hilda Tloubatla, singing the song “Izinto Zimanukwenzeka” written by member Constance Ngema. Emily, who sings here only as part of the group itself, actually did go onto become the lead singer of the Queens when Hilda left the band in 1976. Emily fronted the group until it was reorganised in 1987 for the international breakthrough, at which point Hilda and two of the other original Queens were reunited.

…and that, EJ readers, is all from me for now. It’s been a huge pleasure to regularly serve you with long forgotten rare and exciting gems, and to give people a real insight into who these musicians were and why their stories are still relevant and important today. Whatever the future holds for the blog, I’m glad to have combined in-depth context with some of the most beautiful and important music ever recorded – and I sincerely hope that all of you have appreciated and enjoyed it as much as I have. There are more exceptional treats to come over the next couple of weeks, so please do stay tuned to Electric Jive.

Merry Christmas!

A MAVUTHELA CHRISTMAS – PART TWO

COMPILED BY NICK LOTAY

VOLUME 5.2

1. Manyane Jive Part One

Pops and Sons

MJW Records MJW 114

1976

2. Selemo Sekene

The Zebras

MJW Records MJW 104

1976

3. Khiphan’ Izinkomo

Umfana Wembazo

Motella MO 574

1974

4. Wamuhle Makoti

Mahotella Queens

Gumba Gumba MGG 604

1973

5. Umgqashiyo Wendlele

Izinsizwa Zomoya

Motella LMO 108

1968

FROM THE LP “SILANDELA UMGQASHIYO” (1968)

6. Mama Kutheni

Izintombi Zomoya

Smanje Manje SJM 17

1968

7. Retsoa Daveyton

The Zebras

MJW Records MJW 102

1976

8. Izinto Zimanukwenzeka

Emily Zwane and The Sweet Sounds

Gumba Gumba MGG 625

1974

9. Sina Ngoanaka

Markhams and Sisters

Gallo-USA 306

1965

10. Ubugcwelegcwele - live performance

Abafana Baseqhudeni

1978

FROM THE LP “RHYTHM OF RESISTANCE” (1979)

11. Morabaraba

Mahotella Queens

Gumba Gumba MGG 555

1970

12. Sadlula Thina

Abafana Baseqhudeni

Gumba Gumba RL 315

1975

FROM THE LP “EZIPHOLILE ZAMAGAGU” (1980)

13. Majazana

Mthunzini Girls

Motella MO 372

1972

14. Kumnyama Khanyisani

Abafana Baseqhudeni

Gumba Gumba RL 315

1976

FROM THE LP “EZIPHOLILE ZAMAGAGU” (1980)

15. Phuma Makoti

Izintombi Zomoya

Gumba Gumba RL 315

1975

FROM THE LP “EZIPHOLILE ZAMAGAGU” (1980)

RS / MF