People my age and older may remember a brief period in the early 1990s when acapella styles of music were in fashion. At least, they will probably remember the Philadelphia group, Boyz II Men, who scored several lengthy trips up the Billboard Hot 100 and inspired a generation of boy bands in the early 2000s.
Boyz II Men were not alone, though. Bobby McFerrin broke the charts with “Don’t Worry Be Happy” in 1989 and Take 6 won Grammies in the gospel and jazz categories for their self-titled 1988 album. And Boyz II Men took their name from a song by New Edition, who were in turn part of a long history of male acapella groups stretching back to the days of doo-wop.
Film director Spike Lee even got in on the action with a documentary called “Do It a Capella” a mix of then-current groups like Rockapella and Take 6, and a classic line-up of The Persuasions, who were active through the 1960s. The film and an accompanying album were released in May 1990.
And (he said, finally getting to the point) there are three tracks on that soundtrack featuring the 10-man group from South Africa, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Not long ago, I talked about how Paul Simon’s Graceland album opened a door for me, leading to a bigger world of African music. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, headed by the late Joseph Shabalala, was my first stepping stone. Here they are performing with Simon at the 1987 concert that sparked so much controversy:
It was hard to find a video on YouTube that captured their energy and sound quality as well as this one did. But it’s clear to see their appeal, and a year after Graceland’s worldwide success, Simon produced their first album for Western labels, Shaka Zulu.
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