{"id":804048,"date":"2020-02-11T08:45:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T15:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=950786"},"modified":"2020-02-11T08:45:08","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T15:45:08","slug":"joseph-shabalala-ladysmith-black-mambazo-founder-dead-at-78","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/music-news\/joseph-shabalala-ladysmith-black-mambazo-founder-dead-at-78\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo Founder, Dead at 78"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Joseph Shabalala, founder and director of the Grammy-winning South African vocal troupe Ladysmith Black Mambazo<\/a>, died Tuesday, the South Africa Times<\/i><\/a> reports. He was 78.<\/p>\n

Ladysmith Black Mambazo\u2019s manager, Xolani Majozi, confirmed Shabalala\u2019s death, saying the musician was with his wife upon his death. Majozi said a statement from Shabalala\u2019s family would be released Tuesday, but added, \u201cThe group [Ladysmith Black Mambazo] is on tour in the U.S., but they have been informed and are devastated because the group is family.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Twitter<\/a>, Ladysmith Black Mambazo wrote: \u201cOur Founder, our Teacher and most importantly, our Father left us today for eternal peace. We celebrate and honor your kind heart and your extraordinary life. Through your music and the millions who you came in contact with, you shall live forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala
Our Founder, our Teacher and most importantly, our Father left us today for eternal peace. We celebrate and honor your kind heart and your extraordinary life. Through your music and the millions who you came in contact with, you shall live forever. pic.twitter.com\/2eDNFDUAGf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ladysmith Black Mambazo (@therealmambazo) February 11, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Founded in the early Sixties, Ladysmith Black Mambazo specialized in the traditional South African Zulu style of isicathamiya<\/i> music and became world-renowned after appearing on Paul Simon<\/a>\u2019s 1986 album, Graceland<\/i>. Shabalala co-wrote two songs on that record \u2014 \u201cDiamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes\u201d and \u201cHomeless\u201d \u2014 while he and Ladysmith Black Mambazo also joined Simon on his sprawling tour in support of the LP.<\/p>\n

Simon learned of the group after watching them on a British television special \u2014 where they sang a song in German, no less \u2014 and in a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone<\/i><\/a> he called Shabalala \u201can enormous cultural treasure, a cultural gold mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

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