Headman Msongelwa Shabalala (10 October 1945 – 10 December 1991) was 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 (genre), mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with American Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Grace ...

, a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n choral group founded by his brother

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

. Headman was born in Ladysmith, in the eMnambithi area and grew up with his brothers Joseph,

Jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

Enoch Enoch ( ; ''Henṓkh'') is a biblical figure and Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch prior to Noah's flood, and the son of Jared (biblical figure), Jared and father of Methuselah. He was of the Antediluvian period in the Hebrew Bible. The text of t ...

, Makhosini and

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...

. In 1960, he joined the first incarnation of his brother Joseph's group and became a full-time member alongside his brother Enoch and various cousins and relatives. Singing as a bass voice, Headman added sounds to the songs that would become synonymous with the group's rhythm; the low gruffs and growls and the "clicking" noises (today, they are sounded by

Russel Mthembu Ndoda Russel Mthembu is a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 by close friend Joseph Shabalala. Russel was born in Ladysmith, South Africa, and joined Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1976. It was at this t ...

and

Sibongiseni Shabalala 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 American Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland.'' They ...

, respectively). By the mid-1980s, the line-up had changed rapidly and Headman, along with his brother Joseph and cousin

Albert Mazibuko Mdletshe Albert Mazibuko is a member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group founded in 1960 by his cousin Joseph Shabalala, Joseph. Albert was born in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, Ladysmith, South Africa, and was the second child o ...

, were the only original members from the 1960s. By the start of the 1990s, Ladysmith Black Mambazo had become famous across the world. On 10 December 1991, while driving home from a family gathering in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

, Headman was shot and killed by a white, off-duty security guard in an apparent racially motivated killing.Headman Shabalala
Discogs.com. Accessed June 8, 2012. Headman's murder is referenced in the song "Worldwide" by the group

Adam Again Adam Again was an American rock band active from 1982 until the death of founder, leader and vocalist Gene Eugene in 2000. Other band members included Riki Michele on vocals, Paul Valadez on bass, Jon Knox on drums, and Greg Lawless on guitar ...

on their album '' Dig''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shabalala, Headman 1945 births 1991 deaths 20th-century South African male singers Deaths by firearm in South Africa Ladysmith Black Mambazo members South African murder victims People from Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal Racially motivated violence against black people Zulu people