Joseph Shabalala’s career - a dream come true

The idea of being divinely gifted, to such an extent as to dream lucidly of your artistic purpose and material, is a trope that often artists revert to. Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Mxoveni Mshengu Bigboy Shabalala deployed this routine expertly as the foundational myth of the group - Mail & Guardian says about the South African musician who died Tuesday. Shabalala would say he had these dreams in 1964 over an extended period of about six months. He dreamt of an ensemble dressed in robes, performing a particular repertoire rich in harmony and melody. Musicologist Sazi Dlamini believes Shabalala’s primary legacy is in how he expanded the music’s visibility through his openness to collaboration, especially with his Paul Simon collaboration 'Graceland'. Smabalala himself said this about what they did: “We are not singing this kind of music to make ourselves famous — we are singing to remind our people of who they are.”