Salif Keita is known today as the "golden voice" of Africa, but in his youth he was an outcast, unaccepted by his community because he was born with albinism. Turning to music as an outlet, Keita rose to be one of Mali's biggest stars, bringing traditional African rhythms and instruments to a broader audience. With help from Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter and a number of carefully picked musicians from Mali and France, Zawinul produced Amen, the album that made Salif the first African band leader to win a Grammy nomination. Although Salif Keita now tours extensively internationally, and is based in Paris for much of the year, he still resides in Mali.
Kelly Cherelle Price is a six-time Grammy-nominated American R&B singer and songwriter, She spent her early years in the music business behind the scenes, lending backing vocals to records from stars including Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Faith Evans, and Brian McKnight. in 2000. A cover of Shirley Murdock's Roger Troutman-penned ballad "As We Lay" was its biggest success, falling just short of the Top Ten of the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. After a Christmas album, she released her third proper album, Priceless, which enjoyed strong first-week sales but failed to produce a major single. This Is Who I Am, a contemporary gospel set on Zomba, came in 2006 and was followed by a secular 2010 disc through My Block/Malaco, Kelly.
Amanda Benedicta Antony (born 24 July 1993), popularly known by her stage name Amanda Black, [2] is a South African singer-songwriter and recording artist who achieved recognition in 2016 following the release of her hit single "Amazulu", [3] which was nominated in several music awards. Her debut studio album Amazulu was certified platinum three weeks after its release. [4] She is presently signed to Ambitiouz Entertainment since 2016.
Ringo Madlingozi is a Cape Town-born South African singer, producer and songwriter who rose to fame when he and his band Peto won the Shell Road to Fame contest in 1986. He later formed a group called Gecko Moon with Alan Cameron, a fellow Peto member. Their popular hit was Green-Green, which was a crossover track and was well received by music lovers. Since his debut solo album, Vukani, which sold tens of thousands of copies, he has been unstoppable and moving up the music ladder. He has subsequently scooped multiple awards for his albums, the South African Music Awards (SAMA) and the Kora All African Music Awards, where, among others, he won the Best Male Artist in Southern Africa and the African Continent Awards. He collaborated with international acclaimed group UB40 as part of the United Nations global AIDS awareness program, recording the Xhosa lyrics of Cover Up. Brian Travers, UB40's saxophonist, describes Ringo's music as "fantastic".
Shangaan disco superstar Penny Penny‘s pillar of 90s South African dance-pop is seeing new life as Awesome Tapes From Africa‘s latest reissue. Originally released in 1994, the mega-hit Shaka Bundu went on to sell over 250,000 copies in SA and marked a crowning of Shangaan-disco’s successor to the late Peta Teanet.
Candy Sekedi Mokwena is a Molobedu indigenous and afro jazz musician who already has the SATMA (Traditional Music Awards), Nominated For 16th Annual Mtn South African Music Awards4 Best Alternative Album: African and various nominations under her belt. She is not just a singer but also a community worker who motives and promotes education to the youth in the Country and this proves that she is an ambassador of our heritage as a nation particularly promoting indigenous languages, bead work, traditional music and dance.
Selaelo Selota's music style is influenced by the traditional singing and dancing of the gold mine's migrant workers amongst whom he lived, the Pedi melodies with which he grew up and the jazz he heard at Kippie's Jazz Club where he was a cleaner. Studied jazz guitar at the FUBA Academy.Selaelo formed Meropa who appeared on the Grahamstown Arts Festival Fringe 1995. In 1996 he formed Taola who played at the University of Cape Town Jazz Festival in Cape Town and at the Fin de Siecle Music Festival in Nantes, France to standing ovations. It’s Through Live At The Shack a joint venture with Sony Music SA, that Selota releases his latest album LAPENG LAKA(2009), and it joins an impressive body of work, starting with ‘Painted Faces’ and including ‘Enchanted Gardens’, ‘Stories Live and Told’, and ‘The Azanian Songbook’.
The 24-year-old Khutso Steven Kgatle, born in Mokgoloboto village in Tzaneen, Limpopo, dropped out of school in Grade 8 after a tiff with one of the teachers. He had already made up his mind that he would pursue music. The bug had bitten, largely thanks to his uncles who were in a band playing guitar and drums. His latest hit, Ska Bhora Moreki, has propelled him into a league of dance music stars who have become revellers' favourites and a crowd puller at concerts.
Thomas Hasani "Shinyori" Chauke (4 February 1952) is a South African Xitsonga musician. Chauke was granted an honorary doctorate in African languages for the role his music has played in the development of the Xitsonga language. Chauke started his band with 13 singers from a shebeen in the late 1970s. After a few months, only five remained. They performed at school halls to raise money to go to Johannesburg and realize the recording dream. Chauke signed a contract to record with GRC. Under GRC, the music was branded Nyoresh. He moved to Wea Records, where he got a better deal and changed his music brand from Nyoresh to Shimatsatsa ("a beautiful girl"). In 1981, he recorded his first album called Shimatsatsa no. 1 under the burner name Thomas Chauke and Shinyori Sisters. Now he hands out awards yearly in the category: Dr. Thomas Chauke's Artist of the Year for Munghana Lonene Fm.
Dr Tumi Tumisang Makweya, who is a medical practitioner by profession and a gospel artist by choice, which is his remedy for Gospel music lovers. He is an award winning South African gospel artist. Tumi’s real name is Tumisang Makweya and he was born and bred in Seshego in the Northern Limpopo Province of South Africa. Dr Tumi’s first solo album- Heart of a King garnered him Best Rand B Gospel Award at the SABC Crown Gospel Music Awards in 2012, where he was nominated in four categories. He is emerging as South Africa’s most sought after gospel Artist with a number of churches and Ministries showing massive interest in his gift.
The choir was formed by Pastor Isaac Dagada (a former station manager at the now defunct Radio Thoyondou and he is all a business). The choir consists of 40 members and was created to revolutionize the way gospel music is viewed by the youth and by South Africa. Their sales of DVD’s, CD’s and live performances go towards a youth rehab centre and building a recording station. In the mist of the band there are 13 under privileged members whom the choir gives financial support to further their high school and tertiary education. The group has received the Venda traditional group award at the SATMAs, best gospel group at the SABC Munghana Lonene fm awards, best music DVD at the SABC crown gospel awards and more.