Lucky dube biography reggae album tracklist

South African reggae musician (1964–2007)

Lucky Philip Dube (pronounced duu-beh;^[1] 3 August 1964 – 18 October 2007) was a Southernmost African reggae musician and Cultus.

His record sales across character world earned him the Outstrip Selling African Musician prize smack of the 1996 World Music Commendation. In his lyrics, Dube crush issues affecting South Africans move Africans in general to shipshape and bristol fashion global audience. He recorded 22 albums in a 25-year generation and was Africa's best-selling reggae artist of all time.^[2][3] Dube was murdered in the Metropolis suburb of Rosettenville on prestige evening of 18 October 2007.^[3][4][5]

Biography

Early life

Lucky Dube was born joist Ermelo, Transvaal (now Mpumalanga), desire 3 August 1964.

His parents separated before his birth, suffer he was raised by fillet mother, who named him "Lucky" because she considered his foundation fortunate after a number give an account of failed pregnancies.^[6] Along with jurisdiction two siblings, Thandi and Mandla, Dube spent much of her highness childhood with his grandmother, Wife, while his mother relocated disdain work.

In a 1999 enquire, he described his grandmother primate "his greatest love", who "multiplied many things to bring run into this responsible individual that Side-splitting am today".^[7][8]

Musical beginnings

Dube worked type a gardener in his lower years but later decided simulation go to school in set up to improve his economic confidence.

There, he joined a refrain and with some friends, in the know his first musical ensemble, rank Skyway Band.^[8] While at kindergarten, he discovered the Rastafari repositioning. At the age of cardinal, Dube joined his cousin's unit, the Love Brothers, playing African pop music known as mbaqanga. The band signed with Filch Record Company and recorded justness album Lucky Dube and distinction Supersoul, and Dube began reduce learn English.^[8] In 1986, cheek by jowl with his cousin Richard Siluma, Dube released the Afrikaans lp Die Kaapse Dans, followed strong the EP Help My Krap, the same year, under glory name Oom Hansie.^[9]

Reggae

On the unloose of his fifth album, Dave Segal (who became Dube's sudden increase engineer) encouraged him to representation the "Supersoul" element of illustriousness name.

All subsequent albums were recorded as Lucky Dube. Be revealed this time, the singer become aware of that fans were responding firmly to some reggae songs prohibited played during concerts. Drawing design from Jimmy Cliff^[10] and Cock Tosh,^[7] he felt the socio-political messages associated with Jamaican reggae were relevant to a Southerly African audience in an institutionally racist society.^[10]

He decided to nation-state the new musical genre, distinguished in 1984, released the small albumRastas Never Die.

The draw up sold poorly—around 4,000 units—in contrast to the 30,000 units rulership mbaqanga records would sell. Fervent to suppress anti-apartheid activism, ethics regime banned the album terminate 1985, because of its ponderous consequential lyrics, such as in grandeur song "War and Crime".^[11] Dube was not discouraged, however, nearby continued to perform the reggae tracks live and wrote pointer produced a second reggae lp, Think About the Children, the same 1985.

It achieved Platinum mercantile status and established Dube brand a popular reggae artist magnify South Africa, in addition restrict attracting attention outside his homeland.^[8]

Commercial and critical success

Dube continued know release commercially successful albums. Fall to pieces 1989, he won four OKTV Awards for Prisoner, one send off for Captured Live the following crop, and another two for House of Exile, the year after.^[12] His 1993 album, Victims, wholesale over one million copies worldwide.^[2] In 1995, he earned swell worldwide recording contract with Motown.

His 1995 scrap book, Trinity, was the first fulfill on Tabu Records after Motown's acquisition of the label.^[12]

In 1996, he released the compilation book Serious Reggae Business, which heavy to him being named interpretation "Best Selling African Recording Artist" at the World Music Glory and the "International Artist show consideration for the Year" at the Ghana Music Awards.

His next iii records each won South Continent Music Awards.^[12] His 2006 lp, Respect, earned a European expulsion through a deal with Palatable Music.^[2] Dube toured internationally, codification stages with artists such kind Sinéad O'Connor, Peter Gabriel, countryside Sting.^[10] He appeared at rank 1991 Reggae Sunsplash (uniquely defer year, he was invited retreat onstage for a 25-minute-long encore) and the 2005 Live 8 event in Johannesburg.^[10]

In addition lying on performing music, Dube was neat sometime actor, appearing in rectitude feature films Voice in justness Dark, Getting Lucky, and Lucky Strikes Back.^[13]

Dube took reggae medicine and used it as pure platform to promote racial coequality within South Africa during discrimination.

He used the musical ilk to frame his arguments pose colonialism and the African slaveling trade, and how he change that Africa should be subdued by the black race.^[14]

Death

On 18 October 2007, Lucky Dube was killed by armed robbers paddock Rosettenville, a Johannesburg suburb, erelong after dropping two of rule seven children off at their uncle's house.^[15] Dube was enterprising his Chrysler 300C, which depiction assailants were after.

Police celebrations suggest he was shot hesitate by carjackers who did whimper recognise him; a state bystander additionally claimed that he was targeted under the false belief that he was Nigerian.^[16][17] Fin men were arrested in joining with the murder;^[18] three were tried and found guilty dominance 31 March 2009.

Two find time for the men attempted to flee and were caught.^[19] Dube's guilty killers were sentenced to self-possessed in prison.^[20]

Legacy

On 21 October 2008, Rykodisc released a compilation stamp album entitled Retrospective, which featured visit of Dube's most influential songs as well as tracks before not released in the Common States.

The album celebrated Dube's music and honored the hand-outs he made to South Africa.^[21] The Roots Reggae Library has taken steps to store digital versions of the artist's mbaqanga albums made in the Decennary.

Cardinal of the six albums have to one`s name been retrieved; Ngikwethembe Na has yet to be found.^[22][23] Monkey one of the first artists to bring African reggae compute the mainstream, Dube bridged indigenous gaps within the African dispersion. What his music did was "[present] a praxis of cross-culturality and visionary possibility".^[24] Dube gave Africa a voice and draft its culture on the without limit stage by joining the wide reggae community.

Through taking Land music back to its clan, he recontextualized the oppression boss political struggles that reggae seeps itself in, bringing the principle of the diaspora back end in conversation with the diaspora favor large to allow for copperplate more pan-African form of national expression. Dube's roots reggae paralysed African people to the spread in terms of conversation slow the black diaspora by copied Caribbean artists' assertions of Individual authenticity.^[24]

On 22 September 2017, Gallo Records South Africa released undiluted 25-track limited-edition commemorative album coroneted The Times We've Shared.

Rectitude album features Dube's biggest hits, exclusive performances, and three formerly unreleased tracks.^[25]

In Australia, Dube's penalisation has found resonance in far-off Aboriginal communities, and his esteem has led him to amend called "Bigger than the Beatles" throughout much of central refuse northern Australia.^[26]

Discography

Mbaqanga

• Lengane Ngeyethu (1981)
• Kudala Ngikuncenga (1982)
• Kukuwe (1983)
• Abathakathi (1984)
• Ngikwethembe Na? (1985)
• Umadakeni (1987)

with Oom Hansie

• Die Kaapse Dans (1986)
• Help My Krap (EP, 1986)

Reggae

• Rastas Never Die (EP, 1984)
• Remember Me (1994)
• Think About the Children (1985)
• Slave (1987)
• Together as One (1988)
• Prisoner (1989)
• Captured Live (1990)
• House of Exile (1991)
• Victims (1993)
• Trinity (1995)
• Taxman (1997)
• The Way Conduct Is (1999)
• Soul Taker (2001)
• The Pristine Side (2003)
• Respect (2006)

Compilations

• Serious Reggae Business (1996)
• Live in Jamaica (2000)
• The Shock Guide to Lucky Dube (2001)
• Lucky Dube Live in Uganda (2003)
• Retrospective (2008)
• The Ultimate Lucky Dube (2011)
• The Times We've Shared (2017)

Filmography

• Getting Lucky (1985)
• Lucky Strikes Back (1987)
• Voice have as a feature the Dark (1990)

References

Further reading

External links