Ladysmith "white" mambazo

The South African acapella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo are legendary. I would say they are counted as a global gold standard for acapella virtuosity. One of their classic songs that is known around the world is the song "Homeless."

Now look at these white guys singing the classic. They do such an astonishingly great job. It is quite a feat. Far from diminishing the greatness of the skill of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, watching these guys perform this so spectacularly gives me a fuller appreciation of the musical genius of the piece. The performance is is so good complete with clicks and the endearing Ladysmith Black Mambazo type choreographed gestures. Sweet sweet sweet! They are the group Voices Unlimited from Salzburg performing at the "Musikverein" in Vienna. How it delights me to see great gems from the African heartland being valued as great masterpieces in the global cultural treasury.



And here is the real thing. "Homeless" sung by Ladysmith Black Mambazo themselves at the Nobel Peace concert. EEGH-- eegh eegh-- eegh eegh!





I first saw Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform in Harare Zimbabwe in the late 1980s at Paul Simon's Zimbabwe Graceland tour concert.