Johnny Clegg

Jonathan (Johnny) Clegg, born 7 June 1953 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, is a musician from South Africa, who has recorded and performed with his bands Juluka and Savuka. Sometimes called Le Zoulou Blanc ("The White Zulu"), he is an important figure in South African popular music history, with songs that mix Zulu with English lyrics, and African with various Western European (such as Celtic) music styles.

Already in his youth, Johnny Clegg, a white, English-speaking person with what he called a "secular Jewish" upbringing in the UK, Israel, Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe), Zambia and South Africa, became interested in Zulu street music and took part in traditional Zulu dance competitions.

As a young man, in the early stages of his musical career, he combined his music with the study of anthropology, a subject which he also taught for a while at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he was influenced, among others, by the work of David Webster, a social anthropologist who was assassinated in 1989.

Clegg formed the first racially mixed South African band, Juluka (Juluka means "sweat", and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu) , with gardener and Zulu musician Sipho Mchunu. In 1976 they had their first hit single Woza Friday. Because it was frowned upon (although not actually forbidden by law) for racially mixed bands to perform in South Africa during the apartheid era, their first album Universal Men released in 1979 received no air play on the state owned SABC, but it became a word-of-mouth hit.

The album "Work for All" picked up on South African trade union slogans in the mid-80's. Even more explicit was the later Savuka album Third World Child in 1987, with songs like "Asimbonanga" ("We haven't seen him"), which called for the release of Nelson Mandela, and which called out the names of three representative martyrs of the South African liberation struggle - Steve Biko, Victoria Mxenge, and Neil Aggett.

Juluka were able to tour in Europe and had two platinum and five gold albums becoming an international success. Juluka was disbanded in 1986, when Mchunu was asked by his father to return home and herd the family goats, although Mchunu made some solo recordings afterwards. Clegg went on to form his second inter-racial band, Savuka, continuing to blend African music with European, especially Celtic, influences. Savuka is based on the Zulu word for "we have risen" or "we have awakened".
The Savuka albums Shadow Man (which sold 250,000 copies within a week after its release went on to sell more than 1,000,000 copies in France alone), and Cruel Crazy, Beautiful World were dealing with more romantic topics, including "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World", where a father gives a message to his son, "Dela" where the essence of love is explored.

His song Scatterlings of Africa was featured on the sound track to the 1988 academy award wining film Rain Man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.In 2002 Clegg provided several songs and incidental background music for Jane Goodall's "Wild Chimpanzees" DVD.

In 2007, Clegg received an honorary doctorate in music from the University of the Witwatersrand. “It was a wonderful moment for me,” says Clegg. “The great irony for me is I don’t read a note of music! My music comes to me like it does to many Africans, through ear and feeling.” You can read an interview with Wits’ music man Johnny Clegg (or here).

46664 (four, double six, six four) is a series of AIDS charity concerts played in honour of Nelson Mandela by South African musicians in the 2000s.

2nd 46664 Concert 19.03.2005 in Fanfourt, SA

You can see more concert photos captured at Fête de l'humanité and at the Festival of World Sacred Music 2007.
On YouTube you can enjoy IMPI, Scatterlings of Africa, Great Heart, Dela (It means "Come Closer" in Zulu), Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World, Asimbonanga, Zulu Dance (Isoka liyatatazela'), December African Rain, In my African Dream, Siyayilanda and Kilimanjaro.
And others: Circle of Light, Devana, I Call Your Name, Inkunzi Ayihlabi Ngokumisa, Gijim'beke, Makhabeleni, Moliva, Sonqoba, Thula 'Mtanami, Unkosibomvu The Red King, Uwinile Unumber One, Wangizonda, Woza friday.

I enjoyed the most the documentaries and interviews Un Zoulou Blanc - The Dancer, Chez Ses Freres 1987, Zulu Street Guitar Songs, Interview 1 & 2, Interview Australia Tour 2005 1 - 2 - 3, Interview La Voix De La Liberte 1988, Report Festival 'Fiesta Sète' 2007, Asimbonanga & Nelson Mandela, Dis Hoe Dit Is, docu from Renaud 1987 (2), Interview France 12/2007, Oor Die Kole 1 & 2 and Scatterlings of Africa.

You can find more informations about him on the Official Johnny Clegg Website, Johnny Clegg Blog, Scatterlings Club, johnnyclegg.de.vu and In my African Dream website.