Johnny Clegg
Jonathan Paul Clegg, OBE OIS (7 June 1953 – 16 July 2019) was a South African musician, singer-songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist.
Johnny Clegg OBE OIS | |
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Clegg performing live in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jonathan Paul Clegg |
| Also known as | Le Zoulou Blanc |
| Born | 7 June 1953 Bacup, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 16 July 2019 (aged 66) Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, concertina |
| Years active | 1969–2018 |
| Labels | Capitol |
| Formerly of | Juluka, Savuka |
| Website | johnnyclegg.com |
| Spouse |
Jenny Bartlett (m. 1988) |
| Children | Jesse Clegg |
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: [lə zulu blɑ̃], for "The White Zulu"), he was an important figure in South African popular music and a prominent white figure in the resistance to apartheid, becoming for a period the subject of investigation by the security branch of the South African Police. His songs mixed English with Zulu lyrics, and also combined working class African music with various forms of Western popular music.