South African musician and anti-apartheid icon (1953–2019)
"Jonathan Clegg" redirects here. For the British rower, see Jono Clegg.
For other people with similar names, see John Clegg (disambiguation).
Johnny Clegg
OBEOIS
Clegg performing live in 2009
Background information
Birth name
Jonathan Paul Clegg
Also known as
Le Zoulou Blanc
Born
(1953-06-07)7 June 1953 Bacup, Lancashire, England
Died
16 July 2019(2019-07-16) (aged 66) Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Genres
Mbaqanga
maskanda
Afro-pop[1]
Zulu music
acoustic rock
alternative rock
indie rock
pop rock
world
folk
Occupation(s)
Singer
songwriter
instrumentalist
dancer
anthropologist
anti-apartheid activist
Instrument(s)
Vocals, guitar, concertina
Years active
1969–2018
Labels
Capitol[2]
Formerly of
Juluka, Savuka
Website
johnnyclegg.com
Spouse
Jenny Bartlett
(m. 1988)
Children
Jesse 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 Western popular music.[5]
^Nobanda, Chuma (16 July 2019). "Legendary musician Johnny Clegg has died". SABC Africa. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
^Lewis, Randy (26 August 2017). "South Africa's Johnny Clegg, with cancer in remission, to embark the Final Journey U.S. tour". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
^"Mort du chanteur sud-africain Johnny Clegg, " le Zoulou blanc " qui combattait l'apartheid" [Death of South African singer Johnny Clegg, the "white Zulu" who fought apartheid]. Le Monde (in French). Paris. AFP. 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
^Erasmus, Paul (2004). "Roger, Me and the Scorpion: Working for the South African Security Services During Apartheid". In Korpe, Marie (ed.). Shoot the Singer!: Music Censorship Today. London/New York: Zed Books. p. 77. ISBN 1842775057.
^Cartwright, Gareth (24 July 2019). "Johnny Clegg: South African singer whose cross-cultural music was a direct challenge to apartheid". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
received a Grammy Award nomination. JohnnyClegg and Savuka played both at home and abroad, even though Clegg's refusal to stop performing in apartheid-era...
occasionally referred to as JohnnyClegg & Savuka, was a multi-racial South African band formed in 1986 by JohnnyClegg after the disbanding of Juluka...
Juluka was a South African band formed by JohnnyClegg and Sipho Mchunu. Juluka means "sweat" in Zulu, and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu. The...
music of JohnnyClegg, the cofounder of Juluka and Savuka, to Western audiences. Juluka (meaning "sweat" in Zulu) was founded in 1969 by JohnnyClegg and Sipho...
latest, Things Unseen, have made Clegg a platinum-selling success in his home country. He is the son of JohnnyClegg, who was a prominent musician and...
the first racially integrated band in South Africa, though frontman JohnnyClegg has stated that that was not the case. Savuka was also a mixed-race band...
Third World Child is a studio album by South African artist JohnnyClegg and his band Savuka, released in 1987 and produced by Hilton Rosenthal. Incorporating...
Ubuhle Bemvelo is a studio album from Juluka, a South African band led by JohnnyClegg and Sipho Mchunu. It was first released in 1982. The title means "natural...
Scatterlings is a studio album by Juluka, a South African band led by JohnnyClegg and Sipho Mchunu. It was released in 1982. The album contains "Scatterlings...
South Africa to achieve prominence. He influenced later artists such as JohnnyClegg, Busi Mhlongo and Phuzekhemisi among others. Sizwile Nsizwa (1975) Asambeni...
bands Juluka and (later) Savuka. Ndlovu danced alongside his bandmate JohnnyClegg for many years, both on-stage and on the streets of Soweto and Jeppestown...
Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United...
group Appassionante, the classic rock band Queen and South Africans JohnnyClegg, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. She has performed for Queen Elizabeth...
Thompson, Zoe Nicholas, Treana Morris Yvonne Chaka Chaka Bongo Maffin JohnnyClegg Jimmy Cliff The Corrs Ladysmith Black Mambazo Eurythmics Danny K Watershed...
Bokke(2001) Groen, Goud En White (2002) Compilation album with Steve Hofmeyr, JohnnyClegg, Claire Johnston, Jeff Maluleke, Zoon Stander, Pieter Smith, Patricia...
Work for All is a studio album from Juluka, a South African band led by JohnnyClegg and Sipho Mchunu. It was first released in 1983 and rapidly achieved...
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