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Ladysmith Black Mambazo

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Vocalists

The Resume

    (1964- )
    Formed in Ladysmith, South Africa
    Sing in the ‘Isicathamiya’ (traditional Zulu) style
    Director/lead singer is Joseph Shabalala
    Albums include ‘Induku Kethu (1984),’ ‘Shaka Zulu (1987),’ ‘How the Leopard Got His Spots (1991),’ ‘Heavenly (1997),’ ‘Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1999)’ and ‘No Boundaries (2005)’
    Performed with Paul Simon on his ‘Graceland’ album (1986)

Why they might be annoying:

    Director Joseph Shabalala claims God literally tells him what kind of music to write.
    Their music can sound strange to western ears.
    They imitate the noises of animals, thunder and other natural sounds.
    They’ve sung in ads for soup, soda and candy.
    Some people assume the ‘black’ in their name refers to race, but it really comes from a strong type of black oxen.
    Their trademark is rayon shirts in loud patterns.

Why they might not be annoying:

    They combine a traditional Zulu folk style with gospel music from the New World.
    They are one of the most popular African folk ensembles among westerners.
    They shot to fame in the U.S. and Europe after appearing on the Paul Simon album ‘Graceland.’
    They performed in a Spike Lee documentary on a capella music.
    They perform in a lot of benefits to help fight poverty in South Africa.
    Many of the group members come from director Joseph Shabalala’s own family.
    Two members, both brothers of Shabalala, were shot and killed in separate mysterious incidents.
    Shabalala’s wife was murdered, possibly by his own son.
    They’ve performed with Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson and many other big-name artists.

Credit: Wieland Kalligaro


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 104 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 22 Votes: 59.09% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 57 Votes: 42.11% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 803 Votes: 34.25% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 3032 Votes: 43.63% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 148 Votes: 58.78% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 69 Votes: 47.83% Annoying