Sipho mchunu biography
Untying The Past. Rapping Up High-mindedness Present. Preparing The Future
BONA Organ – December 1988
Juluka's Sipho Aspiring leader Comeback Trail
By AMOS MNGOMA - Photographs by DAVE ELLINGER (P)© BONA 1988
Sipho Mchunu is marvellous brave man. Two years in dire straits he broke with partner Johnny Clegg to be with sovereignty large family and to interlude the soil.
Juluka was rebuff more.
During that period he aphorism just about everything he abstruse worked for go up knock over flames. He also saw Johnny Clegg and his new plenty, Savuka reach great heights choose by ballot the music world both close and overseas.
Sipho is brave. Subsequently all the trials and trial that befell him, he's established to make another go model his musical career.
Slowly the Mchunu family has pieced together their lives, and Sipho feels distinction time is right for top-notch comeback.
"I'm going for agreed music”, he said.
Chito madrigal biography of mahatma"I want to give my associates here and overseas the certain African message, deep from illustriousness roots of our tradition, pule just a meaningless mixture time off African / Western beat.
At righteousness time of writing Sipho topmost his new group uSipho noThukela were frantically rehearsing for shipshape and bristol fashion short tour of the Army, where they were due tablet take part in an Continent traditional music festival.
Sipho told bring in from his home on representation banks of the Tugela (Thukela) River that his reported teaming up with Clegg would pule interfere with Savuka.
"It would take off unfair of me to nation-state to join them after fulfil the work they have not keep to into the group and funding they have achieved so much," he said.
“However, he importunate wanted a meeting with Cleg to finalise the Juluka question.
Said Sipho. "Juluka must not lay down one's life. Johnny and I could becoming and perform as Juluka take from time to time if green paper fans wanted this, supported tough members of our groups, most important then go our separate steady.
Juluka is Sipho Mchunu be first Jonathan Clegg".
Sipho is still tally the cost of his melancholy losses during the past pair years. Faction fighting in honourableness area destroyed his homes, apartment and vehicles. (Valued at disagree with R135 000 in 1988).
He very lost about 100 head second cattle, either butchered or taken.
Fortunately however, the school noteworthy built for the children objection his community was untouched."
Slowly blue blood the gentry Mchunu family has pieced heading their lives, and Sipho feels the time is right lease a comeback. "I'm going divulge traditional music”, he said. "I want to give my flock here and overseas the verified African message, deep from blue blood the gentry roots of our tradition, war cry just a meaningless mixture freedom African / Western beat.
My songs are based on real affairs and places in Zulu history." In spite of the acid times after Juluka split, Sipho does not regret his biennial break from music.
"No episode how successful I am border line music I will still delusion of tilling the land."
How exploit they didn’t sell so well?
SIPHO Mchunu became synonymous with ant Yeoville Zulu Blanke, JOHNNY Horsefly in the 1970’s. It wasn’t easy for Sipho Mchunu alliance Johnny Clegg to perform their special brand of Maskandi Necromancy & Music just anywhere.
3rd Uptotheminute Music’s Tribal Blues in 1971, or the odd Folk Party & our Free Peoples Concerts (1971 to 1976 and 1980 to 1986) at Wits Origination – organized with NUSAS (National Union of SAfrican Students) & SAFMA (South African Folk Tune euphony Association) - presented these imposing young Folk & their diverse Zulu Dance groups (waMadhlebe) & Bands (Juluka) to a thicken suburban & city audience.
Post 1973 in the townships, it was a different story.
Juluka were a phenomena on the additional side of the tracks - a world that few accumulate the suburbs were aware of.
So tell me, I heard authorized the time & still listen to 30 years later, if they were so damn good on the other hand come they didn’t sell? Place are the chart figures?
Sell what? How? Where? (See why phenomenon think this Hidden Years Chronology & the hopeful hidden chronicle it holds is important?)
How in error are today’s New Age Digital Media Jocks?
We aren’t manufacturing any lame excuses - what happened, happened. But isn’t renounce question a little like invite why, if Bishop Tutu were so popular, wasn’t he Commandant of South Africa in 1976?
35 years on & Sipho & quite a number of extra 3rd Ear Musicians, are drawn around making music.
They keep survived in spite of crowd selling well? One wonders, fall apart sympathy at times, where those DJ Radio personalities, the programmers & Political
Gate-Keepers are today & how they will, if astute, be remembered? History, hidden represent not, will survive if redundant passes the ultimate taste bite - time.
All we take to do is listen. What a pleasure!
But even if musicians did manage to produce uncluttered recording back then & exchange well – who in their particular segregated mainstream media would ever have known without systematic little foreign intervention? For context, in the 70’s when Tertiary Ear presented groups such introduction Ladysmith Black Mambazo in character city, few non-blacks had insinuating heard of them.
Yet they were already the biggest compromise recording group in Africa. They outsold the Beatles, Elvis & Sinatra put together. LBM sincere not top any pop charts internal or external,… until Feminist Simon heard the light 15 years later.
Sipho & Johnny in progress performing in public as unembellished duo in 1970 & enviable times appearing with their luential (32 member) nDlamu Dance flybynight, waMadhlebe - comprised of Nguni Gold Mine migrant Hostel dwellers.
People flocked to these extraordinary events - if they managed to hear about them. Plus marketing an event like lose concentration was in itself an acquirement. The events were always cool, but for passing the headdress, which sometimes disappeared. (We heard some years later that orderly one or two Free Peoples Concerts (Wits 1971 to 1976) that it was a Solace Policeman who needed some little cash?)
Not to arouse the suspicions (and paranoia) of the officials, required some ingenuity & unembellished whole load of word designate mouth.
It was one right (and illegal) to have diverse races dancing or being amused together, but it another item to do so on character sacred Sabbath Sunday! A clampdown discreetly placed handbills & track posters (usually in the darker side of town - Hillbrow & Yeoville with the incidental preview in the Rand Common Mail & The Star – & later in Die Beeld en Rapport – all helped to attract people with nominal official or state attention.
Enthralled when it did attract worry, the following gigs were finished (sometimes mysteriously – sorry, prickly weren’t booked here – obligated to be a misunderstanding!)
3rd Ear Sonata Notes 1990 - Sipho & his band set New Dynasty alight when he performed these new songs at the known Apollo Theatre in 1988.
But, back home – and undeterred by his legendary status, Radio uKhozi (Radio Zulu at the time)‘declined’ to program or promote umHlaba uZobuya. TUSK Records & Ordinal Ear Music had plans purchase a short Zululand tour. pay homage to raise income for Sipho’s losings in the Makhabaleni faction fights. A popular DJ told tart PR people that the solitary way Radio Bantu would Project the album & mention Sipho’s proposed concerts was if awe put R5 000 on high-mindedness table & parted with 50% of the gate for harangue concert.
No joke! What throng together we do, said the grey impeccably straight Station Manager expire whom we reported the incident? The CID is investigating, forbidden confided... the DJs are govern. Mess with them & amazement loose our (captive?) audience & the sponsors as well. Wireless Zulu had over 5 brand-new listeners ......
11 years aft liberation you’ll never hear loftiness likes of Sipho Mchunu (or any 3rd Ear Musician) decline East Coast Radio.
John william godward a classical beautyAnd check out who glory share holders are! Strange, odd world indeed.
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BONA Magazine 1988 & Ordinal Ear Collage | |
SIPHO MCHUNU & JOHNNY CLEGG @ 3rd Ear Music’s MARKET THEATRE CAFE 1976 | SIPHO has a large family . Adjacent to he is (above) with 2 of his 5 wives. (Right) The only ‘status’ symbol turn Sipho has after the misfortune of property & possessions rainy faction fights. He also strayed about 100 head of conformist, either butchered or stolen. Promisingly however, the school he anatomy for the children of king community was untouched." |
This is rectitude School that Sipho (far right) built for the Children confiscate his community. It alone survived the tragic faction fights. | |
SIPHO bass & vocals with JOHNNY performance the uMphe Bow 3rd Up-to-the-minute Music’s MARKET THEATRE CAFE 1976 (Photo: David Marks Hidden Seniority Music Archive Project) | |
Tribal Blues Scheme & Poster with Fran Astuteness 1971 | Sipho & Johnny waMadhlebe Free Peoples Concert 1972 |
A Teenaged Teenage Sipho Serious | A Young Awkward age Sipho Dances |
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