Johnny Clegg

Johnny Clegg joined forces with Sipho Mchunu, the Zulu musician who had journeyed to Johannesburg seeking employment, to establish Juluka, the nation’s inaugural multiracial ensemble. Over their initial seven-year span the group issued two platinum and five gold albums while achieving worldwide recognition; after dissolving in 1986 Clegg pursued further fusions of African traditions with European pop textures through Savuka. In the mid-nineties he rejoined Mchunu, reviving Juluka for global dates that included opening slots for King Sunny Ade.

Born in Lancashire, England, Clegg relocated to the continent during childhood. Although he spent time in both Zimbabwe and Zambia, his family ultimately put down roots in South Africa. He took up the guitar at fourteen and first encountered indigenous South African sounds through street performer Mntonganazo Mzila; captivated, Clegg studied under Mzila for two years, absorbing Zulu musical fundamentals and Inhlangwini dance techniques. Shortly after connecting with Mchunu and launching Juluka, he cut his first single, “Waza Friday.” Racial barriers blocked radio exposure for the debut album Universal Man, yet word-of-mouth propelled its success. The follow-up, African Litany, arrived in 1981 and yielded the domestic smash “Impi,” while Scatterlings brought the band international attention two years later.

Mounting political pressures in South Africa fractured the lineup by the mid-eighties; in 1985 Clegg and Mchunu parted ways, the latter returning to his rural homestead. Clegg’s next project, Savuka—whose Zulu name translates as “we have risen” or “we have awakened”—adopted a more pop-oriented lens on African music. Its opening release, Third World Child, moved more than two million units. After Shadow Man the band circled the globe, supporting Steve Winwood across the United States and George Michael in Canada. The quartet reached its zenith with the 1993 set Heat, Dust and Dreams, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album and a Billboard award in the same category.

Mid-nineties reunions with Mchunu under the Juluka banner preceded Clegg’s shift to solo endeavors by decade’s end. He reentered the studio for the 2002 outing New World Survivor; the following year A South African Story preserved a memorable performance at the Nelson Mandela Theatre. Human found a home on Appleseed Records in 2010, and the 2014 collection Best, Live & Unplugged: At the Baxter Theatre Cape Town documented a 2013 concert for the same label.