Msizi Innocent Shabalala (born 1964) is a member of

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of '' isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won ...

, a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

choral group A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

founded in 1960 by his father

Joseph Shabalala Joseph Shabalala (28 August 1940 – 11 February 2020), was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Early life and career Shabalala was born in the town of ...

."Msizi Shabalala"
bol.com.

Background

Msizi was born in

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queensl ...

(eMnambithi district),

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

, to Joseph and his late wife Nellie Shabalala. In 1976, Joseph brought together his six sons to form

Mshengu White Mambazo Mshengu White Mambazo is a South African choral group consisting of the sons of Ladysmith Black Mambazo leader Joseph Shabalala, with his eldest son Nkosinathi leading the group. They sing in the traditional style of isicathamiya, like their ...

, Ladysmith's "junior choir", in which Msizi was a

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

voice. After the murder of his uncle

Headman Shabalala Headman Msongelwa Shabalala (10 October 1945 – 10 December 1991) was a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded by his brother Joseph Shabalala, Joseph. Headman was born in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, Ladysmith ...

in December 1991 and the retirement of several other members (

Inos Phungula Nitric oxide synthases () (NOSs) are a family of enzymes catalyzing the production of nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine. NO is an important cellular signaling molecule. It helps modulate vascular tone, insulin secretion, airway tone, and per ...

, Geophrey Mdletshe and Ben Shabalala), Joseph later recruited Msizi and his brothers Sibongiseni, Thamsanqa and Thulani. Msizi is a tenor voice alongside Albert Mazibuko, and joined the group in 1993. However, he did not tour internationally with the group until 1998; between the years,

– a former member of the group – filled Msizi's place.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shabalala, Msizi Ladysmith Black Mambazo members 21st-century South African male singers 1964 births Living people Date of birth missing (living people) People from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal 20th-century South African male singers