Mbube (genre)

Mbube is a form of South African vocal

music, made famous by the South African
group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The
word mbube means "lion" in Zulu.[1]
Traditionally performed a cappella, the
members of the group are male although a
few groups have a female singer. In this
form, groups of voices singing
homophonically in rhythmic unison are
employed to create intricate harmonies
and textures.

Mbube
Cultural origins 1930s, South Africa

Typical instruments Vocals

Regional scenes

Ladysmith

Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 2008 in Innsbruck,

 y ,
Austria

Background
In Johannesburg, Solomon Linda, a man
from Natal, created one of the most
famous African songs, "Mbube", which
eventually became its own genre. In 1933
Linda began singing with a group of
friends called the Evening Birds. In 1939
they recorded a few tracks for Gallo
Records when Linda improvised the first
15 notes of a song they called "Mbube".
The success of this song led to the
conception of a whole new genre,
characterized by a loud and powerful
cappella four part harmony, accompanied
by dancing. The song was later made
internationally famous, by The Weavers as
"Wimoweh" in 1948 and then as "The Lion
Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens in 1961.
Miriam Makeba's recording of "The Lion
Sleeps Tonight" in the 1960s helped
popularize the genre and establish the
singing tradition. But it was Robert John’s
rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” that
is the most well-known, reaching #3 on the
US charts, and selling more than one
million copies for which he was awarded a
gold disc by the Recording Industry
Association of America.

Associated with poor migrant workers, the

origins of Mbube can be traced back to the
1920s in the Natal region when the area
became heavily industrialized with
coalmines and factories. According to
Joseph Shabalala (leader and founder of
Ladysmith Black Mambazo), young South
African Zulu men from nearby towns and
villages began to flock to this area to find
work, often in mines. These men brought
with them their own cultures and, in order
to preserve a sense of community, formed
choirs. These male workers were often
lodging in hostels where they created a
weekend social life that revolved around
singing and dancing. There were
competitions where the best groups would
showcase their talents and a winner would
be awarded not with money, but honor. As
these competitions became more popular
so did this new style of music. It spread to
Johannesburg, one of the largest South
African cities. Mbube is a precursor to the
more currently popular African choral
genres mbaqanga and iscathamiya. Since
the formation of Ladysmith Black
Mambazo, the mbube has fallen out of
style in favor of isicathamiya, which is a
softer, lighter genre.

References
1. http://isizulu.net

Sources
Mbube Roots, Rounder Records #5025
AMARYONI Artist Biography African
Cream Music, Johannesburg, South
Africa. Accessed 14 November 2008
Broughton, Simon, and Kim Burton.
World Music: the Rough Guide. London:
Rough Guides, 1994. Print
Malan, Rian. "In the Jungle". Rolling
Stone. 25 May 2000. Web. "Africa". Def.
5. Southern Africa. Credo Reference.
Harvard Dictionary of Music, 2003. Web.
31 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.credoreference.com/entry/
harvdictmusic/africa >.
Johnson, Keith. "Mbube". All Music. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.allmusic.com/explore/style
/mbube-d704 >.
 Wassel, Deborah. "From Mbube to
Wimoweh: African Folk Music in Dual
Systems of Law". Fordham Intellectual
Property, Media & Entertainment Law
Journal XX.1 (2009): 290–326. Fordham
Law Blog. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.
<http://iplj.net/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2010/01/C05_Wassel_
123009_FINAL.pdf >.

Further reading
Erlmann, Veit, "'Horses in the Race
Course': The Domestication of Ingoma
Dancing in South Africa, 1929–39" ,
Popular Music, Vol. 8, No. 3, African
Music (Oct., 1989), pp. 259–273.
Cambridge University Press. Nightsong:
Power, Performance, and Practice in
South Africa. University of Chicago
Press (1995)
https://books.google.com/books?
id=FcNIuMDsEV8C&printsec=frontcove
r.
Frith, Simon, Popular music: critical
concepts in media and cultural studies,
Volume 4 , London : Routledge, 2004.
ISBN 978-0-415-33270-5. Cf. p.271
 Xulu, M.K., "The Re-emergence of
Amahubo Songs, Styles and Ideas in
Modern Zulu Musical Styles". PhD
dissertation, University of Natal. 1992
Mbube website official

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Mbube_(genre)&oldid=900865212"

Last edited 6 months ago by Dreemsnake

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

otherwise noted.