MIRIAM MAKEBA .. SOUTH AFRICA POP 1950s
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Miriam Makeba was born from a Swazi Banthu mother and a Xhosa Nguni father. She used to sing in choirs during her childhood and was also fond of American jazz. She joined the bands ‘The Cuban Brothers’ in the early 50s, ‘The Manhattan Brothers’ in 1953 and ‘The Skylarks’ in 1956 and later appeared in local musical shows and movies. In late 1959, she moved to New York where Harry Belafonte helped her settle in Greenwich Village, perform in jazz clubs, appear on TV shows and release 10 LPs in 1960-67, reaping worldwide recognition with her hit song Pata Pata (1967).
Since the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in Transvaal, she was a fierce and prominent human rights and antiapartheid activist. The U.S. administration harassed her and cancelled her visa in late 1968. She then immigrated to Guinea where she lived until 1985, becoming Guinea’s official delegate to the United Nations and also acting as a diplomat for Ghana while pursuing her musical career. After having relocated to Belgium, she toured with Paul Simon in 1987 in his ‘Graceland‘ world tour. In 1990, five months after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, she headed back home to South-Africa.
Miriam Makeba was married to the exiled South African musician Hugh Masekela in 1963-68 and to the US Civil Rights and Pan-African movements leader Stokely Carmichael in 1968-73. From 1960 to 2000 she released more than 250 songs in 21 studio LP albums, delivering in many musical genres in African languages – mainly Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho and Swahili – and in English, French and Portuguese. In the late 80s, she was given the moniker ‘Mama Africa’.
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1954-56 ∙ THE MANHATTAN BROTHERS ft. Miriam Makeba ∙ Laku Tshoni Ilanga ∙ 1957-58 ∙ THE SKYLARKS ft Miriam Makeba ∙ Sofiatown is gone ∙ Lord, make us one ∙ Hush, Hush ∙ 1959 ∙ SHOWS & MOVIES ft Miriam Makeba ∙ Into Yam (movie ‘Come back, Africa’) ∙ Back of the moon (from the King Kong show) ∙
1960 ∙ MIRIAM MAKEBA ∙ Mbube ∙ Qongqothwane (The click song) ∙ Suliram (Indonesian lullaby) ∙ Jikele Maweni (The retreat song) ∙ House of the Rising Sun ∙ 1962 ∙ THE MANY VOICES OF MIRIAM MAKEBA ∙ Carnival (Theme from Orfeu Negro) ∙ Ngola Kurila (A woman soothes her hungry child) ∙ 1963 ∙ THE WORL OF MIRIAM MAKEBA ∙ Dubula ∙ Kwedini ∙ Tonandos de Media Noche ∙ 1964 ∙ THE VOICE OF AFRICA ∙ Nomthini ∙ Qhude ∙ MAKEBA SINGS! ∙ Kilimanjaro ∙ Chove Chuva ∙
1965 ∙ AN EVENING WITH BELAFONTE & MAKEBA ∙ Khawuleza (Hurry Mama!) ∙ Ndodemnyama Verwoerd! ∙ Nongqongqo (To those we love) ∙ THE MAGIC OF MAKEBA ∙ Oxgam ∙ 1966 ∙ THE MAGNIFICENT MAKEBA ∙ Akana Nkomo (Los Caracoles) ∙ La Bushe (Congo Bushe) ∙ ALL ABOUT MIRIAM ∙ Mas Que Nada ∙ Ye tintu Tizaleny ∙ 1967 ∙ PATA PATA! ∙ Pata Pata ∙ Jol’inkomo ∙ Ring Bell, Ring Bell ∙ Malayisha ∙ 1969 ∙ Malaika ∙ 1968 ∙ MAKEBA! ∙ Ibhabhalazi ∙ Emavungwini (Down in the dumps) ∙
1970 ∙ KEEP ME IN MIND ∙ Lumumba ∙ 1974 ∙ A PROMISE ∙ Hauteng ∙ We Got To Make It (1990 live) ∙ 1975 ∙ MIRIAM MAKEBA & BONGI ∙ Malcolm X ∙ 1978 ∙ COUNTRY GIRL ∙ Meet Me At The River (2002 live) ∙ 1979 ∙ COMME UNE SYMPHONIE D’AMOUR ∙ African Convention ∙ 1987 ∙ GRACELAND ∙ N’Kosi Sikeleli ∙ 1988 ∙ SANGOMA ∙ Sabumoya ∙ Nginani Na ∙ 1990 ∙ WELELA ∙ Soweto Blues(orig. 1977 Hugh Masekela) ∙ A luta continua ∙ Give me a reason(live) ∙ 1991 ∙ EYES ON TOMORROW ∙ Thulasizwe(I shall be released, ft Nina Simone) ∙ 1993 ∙ SING ME A SONG ∙ Laktushona Ilanga ∙ 2000 ∙ HOMELAND ∙ Homeland ∙ Umhome ∙
