Spokes Mashiyane

Spokes Mashiyane’s tin-whistle melodies played a central role in turning kwela into South Africa’s leading dance style throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. He joined forces with electric guitarist and composer Allen Duma Kwela to modernize the idiom that Willard Cele had first shaped in the late 1940s. The pair scored their initial breakthrough in 1954 when the singles “Ace Blues” and “Kwela Spokes” both reached the top spot on South Africa’s music chart. While Kwela subsequently devoted himself to jazz, Mashiyane carried his own version of kwela forward with the All Star Flutes, whose lineup included guitarist West Nkosi. Switching to saxophone in the late 1950s, Mashiyane helped steer kwela’s development into township jive.