Busi Mhlongo

Busisiwe " Busi " Mhlongo Victoria ( born October 28, 1947 in Inanda, Natal, † June 15, 2010 in Durban ) was a South African singer and songwriter who has emerged especially with Mbaqanga, Maskanda and Marabimusik, but also African based Smooth - jazz productions presented.

Life and work

Mhlongo was initially under the name Vicky Mhlongo as a singer and dancer active ( inter alia with her band African Jazz and with Conjunto Juan Paulo). In 1963 she had a first hit with My Boy Lollipop. She has performed in musicals and jazz context with the Big Five of Early Mabuza, whom she married. With the African Follies she toured Mozambique and entered 1969 in Portugal. In 1970 she left South Africa to live in Europe. She sang at Julian Bahuhlas Jabula, was at times lead singer of Osibisa and performed with Dudu Pukwana and Hugh Masekela. Then she led her own band Twasa; with Ifang Bondi she appeared at the Africa Roots Festival in Amsterdam. In 1993, she released her album Barbentu ( where the guitarist Robert " Doc" Mthalane was involved ). In the 1990s, she returned to South Africa, where she also worked with musicians such as Philip Tabane, with Mabe Thobejane, Sipho Gumede and others. In 2000, she received three South African Music Awards (as best artist for the Best Contemporary Album and Best African Pop Album ). Your produced by Will Mowat album Urban Zulu (1998) received good reviews and held for months in the European world music charts; she was honored in 2003 with the Kora Award. As a result of breast cancer disease, she had to retire from the music business in 2007; on October 28, 2007, a benefit concert for them took place in Johannesburg Stadium, attended by musicians like Dorothy Masuka, Ray Phiri, Sibongile Khumalo and Zuluboy next to the then President Thabo Mbeki.