Spokes Mashiyane
Spokes Mashiyane ( born January 20, 1933 Vlakfontein, Transvaal, † February 9, 1972 in Soweto, Johannesburg; actually John Mashiyane ) was a South African penny whistle player and saxophonist. He is considered one of the most important Kwela musicians. His nickname refers to the spokes of a bicycle.
Life
Mashiyane was born in the northeastern Transvaal in the present province of Mpumalanga. As a shepherd boy, he learned to play a reed flute with three holes. He moved to Johannesburg and bought a penny whistle. He performed as a street musician and was discovered with his guitarist Allen Kwela by talent scouts of the label Trutone Records. In the 1950s, he was one of the most famous musicians in South Africa. He played Kwela music in the townships was the most popular form of street music then. In this genre, he recorded numerous records. He was the frontman of the Solvency Whistlers and the All-Star Flutes. Occasionally he played with the Skylarks, whose most famous member was Miriam Makeba. In 1958 he joined the label Gallo, where he was the first black South African who received royalties. In the same year he switched to the saxophone and had a hit with Big Joe Special. Kwela music lost popularity starting in 1962. 1964 married Mashiyane. He impoverished and died in 1972 at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto to liver cirrhosis. Mashiyane left behind his wife and two sons.