Ladysmith Black Mambazo has won multiple SAMAs (South African Music Awards) and five Grammys-their first Grammy was in 1988 for the album Shaka Zulu and their last one was in 2018 for Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration. Amabutho was the first album by black musicians to achieve gold status in sales (25,000 copies). Ladysmith Black Mambazo was formed in 1960 and released their first album Amabutho in 1973 under the label Gallo Records.
What started as a crew that allowed any member of the community to join became one of the most successful and most consistent music outfits from the continent. The death of Joseph Shabalala, the founder of multiple Grammy award-winning isicathamiya group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, has saddened the country, the continent and the world at large.
