Musicians - Mahlathini

Home > Listing Index > Musicians > Mahlathini

	Musicians - Mahlathini

Simon ‘Mahlathini’ Nkabinde (born in 1937 in Natal, South Africa) — (died July 27, 1999), Johannesburg, South Africa was a South African mbaqanga singer. Known as the "The Lion of Soweto", Mahlathini was the most distinguished of the basso-profundo "groaners" of black South African vocal music—and the acknowledged originator of a mbaqanga sub-style known as mqashiyo ("indestructible beat").

As a teenager he played at wedding ceremonies as part of his brother's “Alexandra Black Mambazo” band, alongside the original "groaner" Aaron "Big Voice Jack" Lerole.

He toured townships in package shows which often featured the “Mahotella Queens”, with whom he frequently recorded with the “Makgona Tsohle Band”, led by the saxophonist West Nkosi, as back-up and Marks Mankwane on lead guitar.

His music fused traditional township styles, marabi, kwela and pop, and during the 70s he broke from the Mahotella Queens to record mbaqanga with Ndlondlo Bashise backing him up as “The Mahlathini Guitar Band”.

His music lives on in various albums, most of which have been discontinued for a number of years. The act came to international attention on the album 'Mbaqanga' by Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. The “Thokozile” album and the “Best Of Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens” collection are all places to start investigating these talents that shone so brightly beneath the southern cross.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Mahlathini ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Mahlathini; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay