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Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens
Mahlathini
and the Mahotella Queens were a fusion of the three South African
musical acts put together by talent scout and record producer Rupert
Bopape at the Gallo Recording Company in Johannesburg, South Africa in
1964.
The first act of the amalgamation was its lead vocalist, the late
Mahlathini, born Simon Nkabinde on 30th November 1937 in Newcastle,
KwaZulu-Natal. He had been a successful basso-profundo singer who
started out as a boy leading mbube and isicathamiya choirs at
traditional Zulu wedding ceremonies. In the early 1950’s Mahlathini had
been suffering from a strained voice. So concerned were his rural mother
and father about his growl like voice that they took him to see a
sangoma healer who informed them that he was not suffering from any form
of witchcraft which they believed his symptoms to be, but instead it
was just a part of growing up. After singing with the Alexandra Black
Mambazo choir who specialised in the style of “groaning”, Mahlathini was
discovered by Bopape and signed to the Gallo’s subsidiary label
Mavuthela.
The second act were the Mahotella Queens, originally a septet of
in-house female mbaqanga session singers that appeared on many of the
records made by various singers and groups on the label Bopape was
working for. The group consisted of Hilda Tloubatla (aka Hilda
Buthelesi), born in Payneville, Springs, 1942; Nobesuthu Mbadu, born
26th April 1945, Durban; Mildred Mangxola (aka Mildred Nyembe), born 9th
January 1944, Benoni, Johannesburg; Juliet Mazamisa, Ethel Mngomezulu,
Mary Rabotapi and Nunu Maseko.
The third act, the Makgona Tsohle Band, an instrumental group that
originated in 1956 from Pretoria that was led by the late saxophonist,
songwriter and record producer West Nksoi, born in Johannes Hlongwane,
1940. The group also included the first black electric bassist in South
Africa, Joseph Makwela and drummer Lucky Monama, both of whom were
taught by Nksoi himself how to play rhythmic music. On guitar was the
late Marks Mankwane and rhythm guitar, Vivian Ngubane.
The newly formed Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens released a
series of successful albums together from 1964 onwards along with
individual releases from each of the three separate elements that made
up the super group including Meet the Mahotella Queens; Let's Move with Makhona Tsohle Band; Indoda Mahlathini; Isigubu Sabalozi; Makgona Tsohle Reggi; Marena and Marks Umthakathi.
The group were known for their distinctive sounding records and energy
packed presence at concerts. They became South Africa’s most successful
band of all time and were dubbed “The Beatles of South Africa”, this
success lasted until 1972 when Mahlathini left the Mavuthela label due
to payment disputes with Bopape.
Around that time the original line-up of the Mahotella Queens parted
company. The split saw three of them, Maseko, Tloubatla and Mbadu
joining rivals groups such as Izintombi Zesimanjemanje. While Mahlathini
worked with the Mahlathini Girls and The Mahlathini Guitar Band. Nkosi
discovered the then unknown Ladysmith Black Mambazo choir. Mankwane
became the producer of an entirely new line-up of Mahotella Queens: with
Emily Zwane, Caroline Kapentar, Thandi Nkosi, Thandi Radebe &
Beatrice Ngcobo that continued to record and perform under that name
until the mid 1980’s.
Both Mahlathini and the new Mahotella Queens enjoyed individual
success in South Africa for the next few years until the arrival of
disco in the late 1970’s. It became one of the dominant forms of music
there putting their music in decline. Mahlathini continued to record and
perform live at venues refusing to compromise the style of music he was
making by defying the genre of choice of the masses.
In 1982 disco itself was in decline as other various styles of music
had taken over such as new wave and new romantics. In the UK the late
Malcolm McLaren began working on a project that defied normal music
convention by mixing unrelated genres together. During the research for
his classic concept album Duck Rock, he came across the music
of Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens along with other artists from
around the world. Although McLaren’s work on that record has been
criticised over the years by some as nothing more than exploitation, it
was the first album that brought what is now known as world music to a
bigger audience outside of South Africa and other countries. Western
musicians slowly began to incorporate that style of music into theirs,
but it wasn’t until Paul Simon released his infamous 1986 album Graceland
that brought the genre to the forefront of mainstream international
music. Following the success of that album and the new global interest
in world music Mahlathini along with Tloubatla, Mbadu & Mangxola
reformed Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens in 1987 along with their
backing band the Makgona Tsohle Band.
They released the acclaimed Paris – Soweto worldwide on the
Urban African label, a subsidiary of Polydor Records in 1988. With
their new album the group reached an even larger audience than before,
but it wasn’t until 1989 that they would have a hit in the UK. The hit
single was a Yebo!, a collaboration with the Art of Noise and
to promote it the two groups appeared on British TV giving Mahlathini
and the Mahotella Queens further exposure. In addition to that single
they also featured on another two tracks with the group, Chain Gang and Spit that appeared on Art of Noise’s Below The Waste album.
Over the next decade Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens continued
to perform and record albums that gained critical acclaim until tragedy
struck on 8th October 1998 when West Nkosi was killed in a car accident,
followed by the death of Marks Mankwane in the same year. On 27th July
1999 Simon “Mahlathini” Nkabinde died of diabetes complications.
The Mahotella Queens are still making music. Since 2001 they have released a series of successful albums: Sebai Bai; Bazobuya; Reign & Shine and Siyadumisa (Songs of Praise) along with appearances in concerts across the world keeping their musical legacy alive.
© Copyright K.M. Whitehouse 2008
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This website © Copyright K.M. Whitehouse 2008 - 2022
The content in this website is copyright of the curator, K.M. Whitehouse,
all other images, quoted reviews are copyright of the respective copyright holders.
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