Johnny clegg cause of death
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JOHNNY CLEGG BIOGRAPHY AND AWARDS
Johnny Clegg is one of South Africa’s most celebrated sons. He is a singer, a songwriter, a dancer, anthropologist and a musical activist whose infectious crossover music, a vibrant blend of Western pop and African Zulu rhythms, has exploded onto the international scene and broken through all the barriers in his own country. In France, where he enjoys a massive following, he is fondly called Le Zulu Blanc – the white Zulu.
Over three decades, Johnny Clegg has sold over five million albums of his brand of crossover music worldwide. He has wowed vast audiences with his audacious live shows and won a number of national and international awards for his music and for his outspoken views on apartheid, his perspectives on migrant workers in South Africa and the general situation in the world today. Johnny Clegg’s history is as bold, colourful and dashing as the rainbow country which he has called home for more than 40 years.
Born in Bacup, near Rochdale, England, in 1953, to an English father and Zimbabwean mother, he was broug
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Johnny Clegg
South African musician (1953–2019)
For other people with similar names, see John Clegg.
Musical artist
Jonathan Paul Clegg, OBEOIS (7 June 1953 – 16 July 2019) was a South African musician, singer-songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist.
He first performed as part of a duo - Johnny & Sipho - with Sipho Mchunu which released its first single, Woza Friday in 1976. The two then went on to form the band Juluka which released its debut album in 1979. In 1986, Clegg founded the band Savuka, and also recorded as a solo act, occasionally reuniting with his earlier band partners. Sometimes called Le Zoulou Blanc (French:[ləzulublɑ̃], for "The White Zulu"), he was an important figure in South African popular music and a prominent white figure in the resistance to apartheid,[3] becoming for a period the subject of investigation by the security branch of the South African Police.[4] His songs mixed English with Zulu lyrics, and also combined working class African music with various forms of West
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As a fellow South African I was incredibly sad to hear that music legend Johnny Clegg had passed away this week. For those of you who don’t know of his work, I can’t think of a more iconic musician to come from our beautiful country. His contribution to our people was more than just entertainment.
Growing up in Johannesburg as a teen, he discovered the Zulu language through migrant workers who were playing street guitar and keeping their traditional dancing alive in the confines of restricted neighbourhoods. The language, guitar work, and dance captivated him and was to become his life’s mission from that moment on.
His passion for dance and music meant he went on to study the Zulu culture and subsequently met other musicians and eventually formed his first band Juluka. Playing in mixed-race bands was strictly prohibited during the apartheid era and Juluka had trouble playing at public venues and often had to contend with the authorities. They played in hostels and community halls and while they were not allowed on the media in South Africa, they were gaining tremend
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