Now in its fifth decade, this Grammy-winning a cappella group from South Africa is still singing strong. Ladysmith Black Mambazo thrills audiences with the heartfelt yet powerful harmonies of Isicathamiya, traditional music born in the mines of South Africa. Ladysmith Black Mambazo have married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native
South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and
spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic
landscape. Assembled in the early 1960s in South Africa by Joseph Shabalala, the group took the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Ladysmith being the name of Shabalala's rural hometown; Black being a reference to oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; and Mambazo being the Zulu word for axe, a symbol of the group's ability to chop down any singing rival who might challenge them. In the 15 years since Paul Simon incorporated the Grammy-winning group’s lustrous sounds into his Graceland album, they have recorded with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Dolly Parton, and can be heard on many movie soundtracks and in
commercials. This will be Ladysmith's 3rd appearance at The Shedd.