Johnny Clegg, a man of many talents.

Johnny at one of
his live shows

He is a singer, a songwriter, a dancer, anthropologist and a musical activist who sings crossover music, a blend of Western pop and African Zulu rhythms, has exploded onto the international scene and broken through all barriers in South Africa. In France, he is called “Le Zulu Blanc – the white Zulu”.

Johnny Clegg has sold over five million albums of his brand of crossover music worldwide in over three decades. He has wowed audiences with his exciting live shows and won a number of national and international awards for his music and for his views on apartheid. Johnny Clegg’s history is as bold and colourful as the rainbow country which he’s been calling home for more than 40 years.

He was born in Bacup, near Rochdale, England, in 1953, to a Zimbabwean mother and English father. He was born and bred in his mother’s native land of Zimbabwe. She then got married to a South African and immigrated to South Africa when Johnny was seven years old. Johnny was exposed to a broader cultural perspective than that available to his peers at the age of nine.

Clegg worked on the concept of blending English lyrics and Western melodies with Zulu musical structures.  Johnny joined forces with SiphoMchunu and they called the band JULUKA which means “sweat in Zulu.” Their music was subjected to censorship and internal restrictions on the state-owned radio and their only way to access an audience was through touring. 

Their first album, Universal Men, was released in the late 1979. Their second album, African Litany, came out two years later. Juluka worked hard to maintain the basic framework of their music on this album, but allowed themselves the freedom to explore broader aspects of the South African experience. Juluka were most fruitful during 1982 and 1983 with tours of the USA, Canada, Germany and Scandinavia. In 1983 they released Work for All and a year later they came out with Musa Ukungilandela. In the six years that they were initially together, the band recorded two platinum and five gold albums and became an international success.

Juluka split up in 1985. Since then, Johnny has recorded several solo projects. In the summer of 2004 Johnny performed a four-month tour of Europe and North America, playing to capacity houses and appeared at several world-famous shows. Johnny Clegg has performed on all four of Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Aids Awareness Concerts in South Africa and in Norway.

Jonny Clegg went against all odds during apartheid when he formed a band of mixed races and stood against apartheid. Not many had the urge to do that. His act of humanity won him many awards, both internationally and nationally.