Description You are bidding on a rare, original, Mbaqanga Jive, LP record album, from 1972, entitled, "Manyeledi, Manyeledi", on the Motella record label, Stereo #LPBS.11 from South Africa, by Mavuthela Music Company, recorded at Gallo Studio. As mentioned, this record was pressed in South Africa. It made it's way to the United States. The original store(s) that the record was purchased at have a sticker on the front cover side and a stamping on the back cover side, The front cover sticker reads, "AFRICAN RECORD CENTRE, LTD. 1194 NOSTRAND AVENUE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11225 PHONE (212) 772-5665." The back store stamping reads,"AFRICAN RECORD CENTRE, LTD. 2343 7th AVENUE 212-772-5665 (CORNER 137TH ST. & 7TH AVE.) NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10030." The silver and royal blue labels are in excellent condition with the exception of what I believe to be a name written on Side 2 (see photo). The vinyl is in very good to very good plus condition with only a few light scratches and one moderate scratch, none of which affect play. The jacket is in fair condition due to light, general corner, edge, and surface wear. There is some ring wear and soiling on the back cover against the white background (see photo). The bottom edge is separated (not torn) and could by glued back together. The songs on Side 1 are, "Manyeledi, Manyeledi", by J.M.N. Besishingishane, "Phokeng Style No. 1", by Bra'tita", "Marabi Bell", by West Nkosi Nabashokeobezi, "Sea Water 80", by Deford Ngcem & His Accordian, "Ukhezo Oluncane", by Teaspoon Ndelu & His "T" Boys, and "Amachachacha", by Abafana Bamagoduka. The Side 2 songs are, "Don't Call Me", by Roger Xezu & His Big Sounds, "Marabi Accordeon Jive", by The Big Bag Boys, "Bass Marabi", by West Nkosi Nabashokobezi, "Zola 500", by Delford Ncgem & His Accordian, and "Dubaduba Dance", by Sammy Boy & His Sax". This is a 10-day, no reserve auction. Please see information below about the Gallo record label and mbazanga jive music. Mbaqanga is a style of South African music with rural Zulu roots that continues to influence musicians worldwide today. The style originated in the early 1960s. History Historically, laws such as the Land Act of 1913 to the Group Areas Act (1950) initially prevented people from integrating from different tribal communities, consequently making it almost impossible for most music artists to gain recognition beyond their tribal boundaries. The music genre mbaganga developed during this time (1960s) and to this day most of the major record labels are white-owned companies with very few black artists that have contributed to their own material.[1] In Zulu, the term mbaqanga means an everyday cornmeal porridge. Mbaqanga aficionados were mostly plebeian, metropolitan African jazz enthusiasts. Many of them were not permitted to establish themselves in the city, but they were unable to sustain themselves in the rural country. Mbaqanga gave them a staple form of musical and spiritual sustenance; it was their "musical daily bread."[2] Mbaqanga musicians received little money. For example, Simon "Mahlathini" Nkabinde, one of the most well-known mbaqanga singers (and arguably the most famous mbaqanga "groaner", nicknamed the "lion of Soweto"), died a poor man.[3] This was partly due to the exploitation of black South African musicians at home and abroad as Mahlathini pointed out. Mbaqanga groups of the 1960s also found it difficult to get air time on local radio stations,[4] and had to perform outside record stores to attract audiences. Mbaqanga developed in the South African shebeens during the 1960s. Its use of western instruments allowed mbaqanga to develop into a South African version of jazz. Musically, the sound indicated a mix between western instrumentation and South African vocal style. Many mbaqanga scholars consider it to be the result of a coalition between marabi and kwela. A South African tourist website sponsored by the government describes mbaqanga as "the cyclic structure of marabi . . . with a heavy dollop of American big band swing thrown on top." Mbaqanga also provided a very early forum for black and white interaction in a segregated country. As a result, the "white Nationalist government brought this vital era to an end" by razing the townships that supported mbaqanga such as Sophiatown.[5] The genre gained popularity as a result of radio play by stations under the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Early artists included Miriam Makeba, Dolly Rathebe and Letta Mbulu. Mbaqanga maintained its popularity until the 1980s when it was replaced by South African pop music known as bubblegum. Bubblegum is a genre highly influenced by mbaqanga. One of the few remaining mbaqanga bands is The Cool Crooners. This band consists of a coalition between two rival bands that eventually merged: The Cool Four and The Golden Delicious Rhythm Crooners.[6][7] Formation By the middle of the 1950s, the evolving indigenous South African music exploded in popularity given its increased reach to a massively growing urban population. A typical area was the township of Sophiatown, near Johannesburg, which had since the 1930s offered a black urban lifestyle. Sophiatown and Alexandra were rare "freehold" areas where blacks could own property. Its proximity to Johannesburg's downtown area made Sophiatown attractive to performers eager to explore new avenues of music. The area became an important seed-bed for the rapidly developing black musical culture. But when Sophiatown's residents were forcibly removed to newly-formed townships such as Soweto, outside Johannesburg, this era came to an end. One of the earliest innovators of mbaqanga was the Makgona Tsohle Band, a group comprising five domestic workers from Pretoria - Marks Mankwane (lead guitar), Joseph Makwela (bass guitar), Vivian Ngubane (rhythm guitar), Lucky Monama (drums) and West Nkosi (saxophone). Mbaqanga, a Zulu word for steamed cornbread, fused marabi and kwela influences. The cyclic structure of marabi melded with traditional dance styles such as the Zulu indlamu, combined with big band swing. The indlamu input developed into the "African stomp" style, giving a notably African rhythmic impulse to the music and making it quite irresistible to its new audiences. Rupert Bopape, enticed by the successful Gallo Record Company to be their African production manager, brought together the musicians of the Makgona Tsohle Band with Mahlathini and a new female chorus, the Mahotella Queens. This was when mbaqanga really took off - or more specifically, "vocal mbaqanga" (later nicknamed simanje-manje or mgqashiyo). In addition to Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, singing stars such as Miriam Makeba, Dolly Rathebe and Letta Mbulu (who had all began as marabi stars during the '50s) created a large base of fans, as did the Dark City Sisters and the Soul Brothers. Other mbaqanga musicians included Simon Baba Mokoena[8] and West Nkosi, who broke away from the Makgona Tsohle Band in 1990 for a successful solo career until his death in 1998. International popularity Mbaqanga's popularity faded during the 1970s because of the influence of Western pop, soul and disco into South Africa. Public performances declined because labor migrants no longer wanted to be in the spotlight. Additionally, audiences sought more urbanized language, vocal, and instrumental styles.[2] However, it was revived between 1983 and 1986. The reversal of fortunes was in part due to Paul Simon's incorporation of South African music into his Graceland album (1986) and subsequent tour. Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens' appearances at festivals in France and at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert in Wembley Stadium, London in 1988 (featuring "white Zulu" Johnny Clegg) signalled its return. White South African musicians influenced by this style include singer song-writer Robin Auld [1]. Veteran Afrikaans piano accordion player Nico Carstens produced a boereqanga hit with Viva Madiba. Mbaqanga was fully replaced as the dominant music genre in the 1980s by a new urban genre called ‘bubblegum.’ An Afro-dance pop, Bubblegum was mainly influenced by mbaqanga and other popular African styles. With the introduction of television in 1976, this musical genre was promoted as music across all ethnic groups.[9] Characterized as a representation of a move towards music that was more urban than traditional, the Bubblegum genre had many successful musicians, including Chico Twala [2], Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Brenda Fassie. The derivation of mbaqanga into bubblegum contributed enormously towards the development of kwaito. Several mbaqanga acts are still recording and performing today, including the Mahotella Queens and the Soul Brothers. Mbaqanga also continues to influence musicians worldwide. For example, the Norwegian group Real Ones included a tribute track, All the Way Back (Shades of Mbaqanga), on their 2003 album This is Camping. Gallo Record Company is the largest (and oldest independent) record label in Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Times Media Group (formerly Johnnic Communications and Avusa). The current Gallo Record Company is a hybrid of two rival South African record labels between the 1940s and 1980s: the original Gallo Africa (1926–1985) and G.R.C. (Gramophone Record Company, 1939–1985). In 1985 Gallo Africa acquired G.R.C.; as a result, Gallo Africa became known as Gallo-GRC. Five years after the acquisition, the company was renamed Gallo Record Company. The company owns over 75% of all recordings ever made in South Africa, including those by artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Stimela, West Nkosi, and Makgona Tsohle Band. Although they both use the rooster as the basis for their logos (since "Gallo" is the Italian word for "rooster"), the company is not affiliated with the American E and J Gallo Winery. History Eric Gallo set up a one-man business, the Brunswick Gramophone House, in 1926. The record shop was originally devised to distribute records from the US-based Brunswick Records into South Africa. However, noticing the lack of recording facilities (as well as the amount of local talent) in the country, Gallo decided to form a recording studio in 1932 and, borrowing equipment (and a sound engineer) from the then just-defunct Metropole company in the United Kingdom, Gallo opened the "Gallo Recording Studios" under the auspices of Gallo Africa (using a red rooster as the company's symbol, which remains today). Gallo was South Africa's first recording company and became home to a number of classic recordings, including the infamous "Mbube" (recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda and his "Original Evening Birds"). A wealth of local artists had recordings released on Gallo's many labels, including "Singer", "Gallotone", "Gallo New Sound", "USA", and many more. African music (or "black music", as it was then known) was produced by Griffith Motsieloa, a local talent scout whom Gallo had recruited to his fold. Throughout the 1950s, Gallo remained successful, though it was competing against the South African branch of EMI. EMI's African music division, led by black talent scout Rupert Bopape, prospered well into the early 1960s with marabi and African jazz recordings by luminaries such as the Dark City Sisters and others. Gallo lost sales in its own black music unit, led by saxophonist-producer Reggie Msomi and scout Walter Nhlapo, and so, in 1964, the company poached Bopape to join Gallo. Bopape formed the Mavuthela Music Company division of Gallo Africa, recording famous and local mbaqanga and jive artists, and was promoted as "South Africa's Motown" (the acclaimed Mavuthela quintet, the Mahotella Queens, was perhaps the South African equivalent to Motown's trio of stars, The Supremes). Dozens of recordings were issued on labels such as "Motella", "Gumba Gumba", "CTC Star Records", "FGB", "Gallotone", "USA", and many more. Also in the 1950s they started producing the Gallotone guitar. Arnold Golembo founded the Gramophone Record Company (G.R.C.) in Johannesburg in 1939. GRC obtained the South African franchise for the Capitol Records label in 1946 (later moved to EMI Brigadiers), and the franchise for CBS in 1956. In 1985, G.R.C. was incorporated into Gallo Africa. The company was named Gallo-GRC, and incorporated Gallo's production stable, Mavuthela, and GRC's production stable, Isibaya Esikhulu. These stables had been fierce rivals from around the mid-1960s up to Gallo's take-over of G.R.C. The company was renamed Gallo Record Company in 1990. Producers at Gallo included West Nkosi, who was an influential and intimidating figure at the company from 1964 until his death in 1997. Nkosi was a member of the Makgona Tsohle Band, which backed up all of Mavuthela's (1964–1985) mbaqanga artists such as the Mahotella Queens, Abafana Baseqhudeni, Mahlathini, and many others. Nkosi introduced to Gallo some of its most well-known artists - these included Ladysmith Black Mambazo (1972), The Green Arrows (1974), Mpharanyana and the Cannibals (1976), and Amaswazi Emvelo (1978). Other figures at Gallo over the years have included talent scouts Rupert Bopape and Louis Petierson as well as musician-composer-arrangers such as Shadrack Piliso, Marks Mankwane, Hilda Tloubatla, Lucky Monama, Joseph Shabalala, Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde and Thandi Nkomo, in addition to figures such as Eric Gallo, Peter Gallo, and others. In 2006, Johnnic Communications (Gallo's parent company, which changed its name to Avusa in November 2007) entered a joint venture with the South African division of Warner Music International, forming Warner Music Gallo Africa, making Gallo Record Company's entire music archive digitally available for the first time. These include rare pressings as well as classic hits by artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Letta Mbulu, Juluka, Spokes Mashiyane, Lucky Dube, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and others.