South African Mbaqanga group the Soul Brothers will be celebrating Heritage Month and their journey by releasing a book titled The Life and Times of Soul Brothers written by Sydney Maluleke.
Moses Ngwenya, the co-founder of Soul Brothers said: “like everyone else, I am what I am. This book is a memoir for my family and supporters of all the late band members that I began with, so I am very happy that it will finally be launched for all generations to come to know about the band and umbhaqanga.”
The Soul Brothers have been in the music industry since the mid-70s. The book captures the history of the group since its formation in 1975 by David Masondo, Tuza Mthethwa, Zenzele Mchunu, American Zulu, and Moses Ngwenya.
Maluleke said the book tells the story of how the band was formed, how their albums were composed, the loss of band members, why they are called kings of Mbaqanga, and what their music is all about.
The first four of its members died as result of illness, murder and car accidents.
“Although The history of the Soul Brothers is told through the eyes of Moses Ngwenya it also relies on many perspectives as one of their young followers who have lived during the era of the band. The book captivates the reader by using a multimodal approach. It consists of their unknown photos and those that people might have forgotten as well as very old newspapers and magazines that captured their life.”
Other bands that are peers and counterparts of the band are Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Izintombi Zesimanjemanje, Mahlathini and Mahotella Queens and Steve Kekana.
The Soul Brothers are currently the only active surviving Mbaqanga group of the 70s that still records and tours around the world performing live.
They have recorded over 45 albums and sold millions of albums, earning them many awards, and making them one of the biggest-selling groups in South Africa.
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