Dorothy Masuka

Dorothy Masuka ( born September 3, 1935 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia ) is a South African jazz and pop singer. South African singer Letta Mbulu of Miriam Makeba over to Aura Msimang are influenced by Masuka and have - as Hugh Masekela - also Kulala or other of their songs in their repertoire.

Life and work

Masuka, whose father came from what is now Zambia and whose mother was a Zulu, grew up from the age of twelve years in South Africa, where she went to school in Johannesburg. Influenced by Dolly Rathebe she became interested in jazz and South African music, such as the township jive. She participated in talent competitions and went with 16 years of school to become a member of Philemon Mogotsis African Ink Spots in Durban. Soon after, she wrote the hit song Hamba Notsokolo. At the age of 20 years she was with the musical revue African Jazz and Variety on the road, which at the time also belonged to Miriam Makeba. Also it was pictured on the cover of Drum and other magazines. Their songs were initially very successful. However, lamented their song Dr. Malan on the then Prime Minister Daniel François Malan, who had introduced apartheid, its discriminatory laws; the plate had to be taken off the market. In 1961 she sang a song about just murdered Patrice Lumumba, was also banned by the censors; all boards including the master tapes were confiscated. Masuka returned to Bulawayo, since it had been declared persona non grata in South Africa. Four years later she fell out with the Rhodesian authorities and had to flee to the now independent Zambia. In 1965 she appeared in the United States in the musical Buwa of Caiphus Semenya. She also appeared with Miriam Makeba; In 1969 she participated in Algiers on Pan African Cultural Festival. In Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania, she spent the following years in exile until they could return to Zimbabwe in 1980. Since 1992 she has been living in Johannesburg, but as the Mahotella Queens 2002 in New York occurs occasionally in Europe and the United States.

She was awarded the South African Medal Ikhamanga 1996.

Disco Graphical Notes

• Pata Pata (1990 )
• Hamba Notsokolo (1995 )
• Mzilikazi (2001)
• The Definite Collection ( 2002)
• Lendaba (2003)