Lucky Dube
b. Ermelo Dube - 1967
(Eastern Transvaal, South Africa)
The most
successful African reggae artist of all time,
Lucky Dube (pronounced Doobay) has taken his
Peter Tosh -influenced music further than his
hero himself managed. Guitarist-vocalist Dube
formed his first group, a mbqanga combo
entitled The Sky Way Band, while still at
school. An interest in Rastafarianism
complemented a musical predilection for
reggae, although, as a member of the Love
Brothers, his first album betrayed none of
these influences. His first hit single, the
'Zulu soul' of 'Baxoleleni', arrived in 1983,
from his debut solo set Lengane Ngeyetha.
Several LPs later, he starred in a South
African movie, Getting Lucky, and performed
reggae tracks for its soundtrack. His first
reggae album, Rastas Never Die, was banned in
South Africa on account of its militancy, and
Dupe diversified into rap for Help My Krap. In
1986 his new band, the Slaves, recorded 'Think
About The Children', and their second album,
Slave, sold 300,000 copies. In 1989 he toured
France and the USA with the group and appeared
in the movie Voice In The Dark. Two albums in
that year, Together As One and Prisoner, sold
heavily, the latter going double platinum in
South Africa in only five days.
In 1991 Dube
became the first South African artist to play
the Reggae Sunsplash festival in Jamaica, and
again he issued two albums in one year,
Captured Live (incidentally also the title of
a Peter Tosh LP) and House Of Exile. Tours of
Japan and Australia were also a success, and
Dube additionally played WOMAD with Peter
Gabriel. Victims again broke his own record
for worldwide sales, shifting in excess of a
million copies on various licensee imprints.
Although Dube's style is probably too dated to
achieve great success in Jamaica, he remains
head and shoulders above his African reggae
compatriots.
-- Courtesy
(Encyclopedia of Popular Music) --
Lucky Dube
(born: Ermelo Dube) (pronounced: Doo bay) is
one of South Africa's best selling artists and
one of its most outspoken performers..
Although he initially sang in the traditional
Zulu mbaganga style, his move to reggae in
1984 was sparked by his quest to express his
anger against the oppression of apartheid.
While The Village Voice observed, "The
spirit of Lucky Dube's music and dance
epitomizes the spirit of Black
liberation", "Niceup Magazine"
said, "(Dube's) lyrics have brought an
original voice to reggae by chronicling the
political and spiritual struggles of his South
African breathren". Dube's musical
talents were obvious from an early age. By the
age of nine, he was conducting his school
choir. After singing with school rock and roll
bands, he joined his cousin, Richard Siluma's
Mbaganga band, The Love Brothers. Together
with the group, he recorded his first single
in 1979. Inspired by the controversal lyrics
of Peter Tosh, Dube moved to reggae in 1984.
His earliest attempts with the newly-adopted
style were met by strong opposition by the
then-all-white South African government and
his first reggae album, "Rasta Never
Die" was banned from radio airplay.
Without notifying his record label, Dube
re-entered the recording studio and cut a
second reggae album, "Think About The
Children". The album became a major hit
and achieved gold record status. Dube's third
reggae album, "Slave", sold more
than five hundred thousand copies.
-- Courtesy
(Craig
Harris, All-Music Guide) --
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