Johnny Clegg

Johnny Clegg is South African. His music includes interesting harmonies and rhythms. His lyrics are often about Zulu tribal history and the complexities of South African society. I am particularly fond of "Impi" which is about the Zulu/British battles during the Boer wars and the "Scatterlings of Africa" album by Juluka. Clegg was given an honorary doctorate of anthropology last year from Dartmouth. You can check out samples on his website and his live show is really fun usually featuring large bands with both modern and ancient instruments as well as tribal dancers.

I'd put Clegg and Juluka in the "World Music" genre, Mechans.

Indeed Maxnewild. I grew up on Johnny Cleggs music as a teenager. Blimmey 20 years + ago, and still it stirs me deeply.

He is refered to as the white zulu.

He was awarded the highest honour a person can can get in France. Michael Jackson once had to cancel one of his concerts there as Clegg out sold him in the same city.

Once Mandela surprised him by walking onto the stage when he was in Germany.

My favourite is Jaluka... albums, Scatterlings, Work for All, African Litany, Musa ... To me his older music captures the African spirit most.

Listen to his first album Universal Men in 79...some haunting songs. To me it stands out as one of the all time greats in world music especially considering what he had to go though in a difficult time in South African history.

Saw him twice in concert years ago.

A refreshing act and sound to say the least!

Saw him in concert years ago as a lead in act. He stole the show. There was a dancing snake line up and down the hillside at the outdoor facility to the song Dela. Years later one of my daughters soccer team mates name turned out to be named Dayla. Her parents confessed to naming her after a song they heard at a concert. We figured out we were at the same Johnny Clegg concert some10 years earlier....