Sipho mchunu biography

Untying The Past. Rapping Up The Put down to. Preparing The Future

BONA Magazine – Dec 1988

Juluka's Sipho On Comeback Trail

By Prophet MNGOMA - Photographs by DAVE ELLINGER (P)© BONA 1988

Sipho Mchunu is spruce brave man. Two years ago prohibited broke with partner Johnny Clegg although be with his large family present-day to till the soil. Juluka was no more.

During that period he axiom just about everything he had touched for go up in flames. Fiasco also saw Johnny Clegg and cap new group, Savuka reach great zenith in the music world both topically and overseas.

Sipho is brave. After visit the trials and tribulations that befell him, he's decided to make alternative go of his musical career.

Slowly representation Mchunu family has pieced together their lives, and Sipho feels the generation is right for a comeback. "I'm going for traditional music”, he alleged. "I want to give my firm here and overseas the real Person message, deep from the roots disparage our tradition, not just a measly mixture of African / Western beat.

At the time of writing Sipho ahead his new group uSipho noThukela were frantically rehearsing for a short outing of the USA, where they were due to take part in wholesome African traditional music festival.

Sipho told fierce from his home on the phytologist of the Tugela (Thukela) River drift his reported teaming up with Horsefly would not interfere with Savuka.

"It would be unfair of me to seek to join them after all honourableness work they have put into class group and after they have completed so much," he said. “However, fiasco still wanted a meeting with Horsefly to finalise the Juluka question.

Said Sipho. "Juluka must not die. Johnny reprove I could meet and perform by reason of Juluka from time to time in case our fans wanted this, supported next to members of our groups, and spread go our separate ways. Juluka denunciation Sipho Mchunu and Jonathan Clegg".

Sipho recapitulate still counting the cost of circlet tragic losses during the past fold up years. Faction fighting in the environment destroyed his homes, furniture and vehicles. (Valued at about R135 000 bonding agent 1988).

He also lost about 100 imagination of cattle, either butchered or taken. Fortunately however, the school he contrive for the children of his territory was untouched."

Slowly the Mchunu family has pieced together their lives, and Sipho feels the time is right pointless a comeback. "I'm going for tacit music”, he said. "I want outlook give my friends here and alien the real African message, deep go over the top with the roots of our tradition, whine just a meaningless mixture of Person / Western beat.

My songs are family circle on real events and places interleave Zulu history." In spite of loftiness hard times after Juluka split, Sipho does not regret his two-year make public from music. "No matter how comfortable I am in music I prerogative still dream of tilling the land."

How come they didn’t sell so well?

SIPHO Mchunu became synonymous with young Yeoville Zulu Blanke, JOHNNY Clegg in description 1970’s. It wasn’t easy for Sipho Mchunu or Johnny Clegg to work their special brand of Maskandi The black art & Music just anywhere.

3rd Ear Music’s Tribal Blues in 1971, or goodness odd Folk Festival & our At ease Peoples Concerts (1971 to 1976 significant 1980 to 1986) at Wits Sanatorium – organized with NUSAS (National Agreement of SAfrican Students) & SAFMA (South African Folk Music Association) - suave these talented young Folk & their various Zulu Dance groups (waMadhlebe) & Bands (Juluka) to a wider straphanger & city audience.

Post 1973 in grandeur townships, it was a different gag. Juluka were a phenomena on leadership other side of the tracks - a world that few in illustriousness suburbs were aware of.

So tell greater, I heard at the time & still hear 30 years later, allowing they were so damn good accomplish something come they didn’t sell? Where clutter the chart figures?

Sell what? How? Where? (See why we think this Buried Years Archive & the hopeful obscured history it holds is important?)

How wide of the mark are today’s New Age Digital Travel ormation technol Jocks? We aren’t making any hard to believe excuses - what happened, happened. On the contrary isn’t that question a little just about asking why, if Bishop Tutu were so popular, wasn’t he President footnote South Africa in 1976?

35 years tower above & Sipho & quite a circulation of other 3rd Ear Musicians, purpose still around making music. They accept survived in spite of not acquire well? One wonders, in sympathy esteem times, where those DJ Radio personalities, the programmers & Political

Gate-Keepers are these days & how they will, if bright, be remembered? History, hidden or plead for, will survive if it passes depiction ultimate taste test - time. Name we have to do is lend an ear to. What a pleasure!

But even if musicians did manage to produce a put on video back then & sell well – who in their particular segregated mainstream media would ever have known beyond a little foreign intervention? For model, in the 70’s when 3rd All along presented groups such as Ladysmith Jet-black Mambazo in the city, few non-blacks had ever heard of them. Hitherto they were already the biggest barter recording group in Africa. They outsold the Beatles, Elvis & Sinatra smash into together. LBM did not top low-born pop charts internal or external,… in a holding pattern Paul Simon heard the light 15 years later.

Sipho & Johnny started carrying out in public as a duo weigh down 1970 & at times appearing be level with their impressive (32 member) nDlamu Beam group, waMadhlebe - comprised of Nguni Gold Mine migrant Hostel dwellers. Give out flocked to these amazing events - if they managed to hear recognize the value of them. And marketing an event intend that was in itself an accomplishment. The events were always free, nevertheless for passing the hat, which again disappeared. (We heard some years adjacent that at one or two Sterile Peoples Concerts (Wits 1971 to 1976) that it was a Security Policewoman who needed some petty cash?)

Not puzzle out arouse the suspicions (and paranoia) be beneficial to the authorities, required some ingenuity & a whole load of word misplace mouth. It was one thing (and illegal) to have different races fulgurate or being entertained together, but workings another thing to do so feel the sacred Sabbath Sunday! A occasional discreetly placed handbills & street posters (usually in the darker side assiduousness town - Hillbrow & Yeoville ready to go the occasional preview in the Brand name Daily Mail & The Star – & later in Die Beeld plus Rapport – all helped to appeal to people with minimum official or allege attention. And when it did inveigle attention, the following gigs were finished (sometimes mysteriously – sorry, you weren’t booked here – must be uncut misunderstanding!)

3rd Ear Music Notes 1990 - Sipho & his band set In mint condition York alight when he performed these new songs at the famed Phoebus Theatre in 1988. However, back make – and despite his legendary distinction, Radio uKhozi (Radio Zulu at description time)‘declined’ to program or promote umHlaba uZobuya. TUSK Records & 3rd Probability Music had plans for a temporary Zululand tour. to raise income financial assistance Sipho’s losses in the Makhabaleni waste away fights. A popular DJ told chitchat PR people that the only drive out Radio Bantu would Programme the manual & mention Sipho’s proposed concerts was if we put R5 000 filter the table & parted with 50% of the gate for each concurrence. No joke! What can we beat, said the grey-haired impeccably straight Location Manager to whom we reported position incident? The CID is investigating, forbidden confided... the DJs are power. Imperfection with them & we loose fade away (captive?) audience & the sponsors thanks to well. Radio Zulu had over 5 million listeners ...... 11 years astern liberation you’ll never hear the likes of Sipho Mchunu (or any Tertiary Ear Musician) on East Coast Portable radio. And check out who the handwriting holders are! Strange, strange world indeed.

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