R.I.P. Johnny Clegg

South African singer, dead at 66 of pancreatic cancer.  He was diagnosed in 2015.

His life story is pretty remarkable.  His Dutch mother settled in Johannesburg, and allowed her son to hang out in the Black ghettos where he learned Zulu dance and music, although race mixing under apartheid was illegal.  Johnny grew up to start Juluka, a mixed race group which was banned from performing or being heard on the radio in South Africa but became huge international stars regardless.  After the fall of apartheid, Johnny became a local hero for promoting racial harmony long before it was fashionable.  Nelson Mandela even appeared onstage with him a couple times.

I collected his stuff for years.  He sang in a mixture of English and Zulu, and included many traditional Zulu instruments, rhythms and melodies in his music.  His live show was a whirlwind of dance and music (I saw him live about ten years ago, and I have a cherished DVD of a Paris show from 1990).