Frogtoon Music

Universal Men by Juluka

Artist Biography For Juluka

Juluka Was A South African Music Band Formed In 1969 By Johnny Clegg And Sipho Mchunu. Juluka Means "sweat" In Zulu And Was The Name Of A Bull Owned By Mchunu. The Band Was Closely Associated With The Mass Movement Against Apartheid. At The Age Of 14 Clegg Met Zulu Street Musician Charlie Mzila Who Taught Him Zulu Music And Dancing Over The Following Two Years. In 1969 Johnny Clegg And Sipho Mchunu Met In Johannesburg When Young Sipho Went There To Find Work. The 18-Year-Old Mchunu Challenged The 16-Year-Old Clegg To A Guitar Contest And The Two Became Friends. Soon They Were Performing Together On The Streets And In What Few Other Unofficial Venues A Multi-Racial Band Could Safely Play In Under Apartheid. They Were Forced To Keep A Low Profile And Their Success Came From Word Of Mouth Instead Of Through Traditional Publicity. Clegg Himself Was Arrested And Beaten Up By The Police On Several Occasions For His Activities And Also For The Band's Lyrics. For Some Commentators Juluka Was The Band That Had The Greatest Success In Challenging The Racial Separateness Of Apartheid. When Performing Both Black And White Band Members Would Appear On Stage In Traditional Zulu Dress And Perform The Traditional Zulu War Dance Together While Singing In Zulu And English. 1 In 1976 They Released Their Debut Single "Woza Friday" Followed Three Years Later By A Critically Acclaimed Album Universal Men. 2 The Album's Poetic Lyrics Were Strongly Influenced By John Berger's A Seventh Man As Well As Pablo Neruda And Jean-Paul Sartre. Citation Needed Expanding To A Quintet They Released A Second Album African Litany In Late 1981. The Album's Lead Single "Impi" With Its Pointedly Political Lyrics About A Defeat Of The Colonial British Army By The Zulus At The Battle Of Isandlwana Was Banned By South African Radio But Became An Underground Hit. In Contemporary South Africa It Is Often Associated With National Sports Teams. The Album Garnered Them Their First International Attention And They Were Able To Successfully Tour In Europe And North America In 1982 And 1983. However In June 1983 The British Music Magazine NME Reported That They Were Initially Banned By The Musicians Union As ..."since It Would Not Be Possible To Approve One Of Our Bands Working In South Africa There Is No Possibility Of An Exchange". The Ban Was Eventually Lifted With The Group Donating Their Fees To Charity. 3 In South Africa Juluka Was Also Banned By Radio Bantu A Government Approved Radio Station For The Black Population Which Allegedly Refused To Play Juluka's Music Because Clegg's Efforts Were Seen As "an Insult To The Zulu And Their Culture". 4 The Group Disbanded In 1985 When Mchunu Moved Back To The Farm Where He Was Born In Natal To Take Care Of His Family. Clegg Went On To Form A New Band Savuka With Whom He Achieved Even Greater International Success. In 1997 However The Two Friends Came Back For A Final Album Together. It Did Not Receive The Critical Acclaim Of Early Juluka Albums Like Universal Men African Litany Work For All And Scatterlings.

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