Joseph Shabalala (1940–2020) founded the now-legendary, South African, a cappella vocal ensemble, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, in 1974. In May 1992, Mr. Shabalala and members of the group visited with Studs Terkel on WFMT. They were in Chicago for their first partnership with Steppenwolf Theater Company – Tug Yourgrau’s play the Song of Jacob Zulu, which later garnered a half-dozen Tony nominations for it’s run on Broadway. The play’s director, Steppenwolf’s Eric Simonson, joined the singers in the conversation.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (05/12/1992)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo in concert at Ravinia (Photo: Stephen Neilson, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons)
