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Article: South Africa's rhythm. (the popular music of South Africa is popular in the US also)
- Article from:
- American Visions
- Article date:
- December 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Heritage Information Holdings, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As recently as a decade ago, few of us had heard much of the music of Africa. Yes, there were the occasional songs that made the American pop charts through the years, mainly as novelties--songs like the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and Miriam Makeba's "Pate Pata." Nigeria's Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Arts Scene, October/ November 1997) had a small following in the United States. By and large, however, African music received little notice here. Today, the music coming out of South Africa alone, from such artists as Rebecca, the Soweto String Quartet and Letta Mbulu, commands considerable attention.
The scene changed drastically in 1986, when England's Peter ...