Scatterling of Africa

Johnny Clegg

Description

‘There are moments in life that are pure, and which seem to hang in the air, unhitched from the everyday world as we know it. Suspended for a few seconds, they float in their own space and time with their own hidden prospects. For want of a better term, we call these moments “magical” and when we remember them they are cloaked in a halo of special meaning.’

For 14-year-old Johnny Clegg, hearing Zulu street music as plucked on the strings of a guitar by Charlie Mzila one evening outside a corner café in Bellevue, Johannesburg, was one such ‘magical’ moment.

The success story of Juluka and later Savuka, and the cross-cultural celebration of music, language, story, dance and song that stirred the hearts of millions across the world, is well documented. Their music was the soundtrack to many South Africans’ lives during the turbulent 70s and 80s as the country moved from legislated oppression to democratic freedom. It crossed borders, boundaries and generations, resonating around the world and back again.

Less known is the story of how it all began and developed.

Scatterling of Africa is that origin story, as Johnny Clegg wrote it and wanted it told. It is the story of how the son of an unconventional mother, grandson of Jewish immigrants, came to realise that identity can be a choice, and home is a place you leave and return to as surely as the seasons change.

Sujets

• Musique
• Histoire de la musique
• Personal Memoirs
• Philosophie et théologie
• Premios Grammy
• Zulú
• Jonathan Paul
• Sipho Mchunu
• African popular music
• Memoir
• Musician
• Jenny
• Zulu
• Savuka
• Music
• Grammy Award
• Nelson Mandela

Informations

• Publié par: Pan Macmillan South Africa
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781770107595
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Clegg family is deeply grateful to Richard Friedland and the Netcare staff and Hospice workers for their tireless care for Johnny in his last few weeks. We would a lso like to thank the Chevra Kadisha for their support for the family over what was a very difficult period.

Scatterling of Africa
My Early Years
JOHNNY CLEGG
MACMILLAN

First published in 2021
by Pan Macmillan South Africa
Private Bag X19
Northlands
Johannesburg
2116
www.panmacmillan.co.za
ISBN 978-1-77010-758-8
e-ISBN 978-1-77010-759-5
In the text © 2021 Ocean Beat
In the foreword © 2021 Roddy Quin
In the editor’s note © 2021 Alison Lowry
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Editing by Alison Lowry
Proofreading by Sahm Venter
Design and typesetting by Triple M Design, Johannesburg
Cover by publicide
Cover photographs courtesy of the Clegg Family Collection

Johnny Clegg was a uniting voice against injustice and, in particular, apartheid in his home of South Africa.
This is why and where we met.
I came to know Johnny through his music and his activism but, most importantly, I was rewarded by his friendship.
Each time I think of Johnny (which is often), I am reminded of how blessed we were that he moved amongst us. His generosity of spirit and his gift of heart was a joyous experience for those of us blessed by his presence. He was an inspiration to us all.
He is dearly missed.
Reading his words here will bring back a small portion of the spirit that was Johnny Clegg.
I loved him very much.
harry belafonte

Contents
Foreword by Roddy Quin
Prologue
Introduction
PART 1 – The Immigrant
1 Between Two Shores
2 An Unconventional Mother
3 Open to Possibility
4 Zambia
5 Dan
PART 2 – Transition
6 Charlie Mzila and Walking with Songs
7 Warriors in the City
8 A Map for Manhood
9 Identity as a Choice
10 Age Mates
PART 3 – The Migrant
11 Wemmer and Other Hostels
12 White Boy Dancing
13 Homeland
14 The Making of Legends
15 Leading the Dance
PART 4 – Tradition
16 Rites of Passage
17 Makhabeleni, Tugela Valley
18 Stick Fighting
19 ‘ This is Not a Permit ’
20 Of Bulls and Men
PART 5 – Migrations
21 Higher Learning
22 Magical Thinking
23 Side College
24 In Tune and Out of Step
PART 6 – Transgression
25 Juluka – Not Just a Stage
26 Working in Concert
27 Brothers in Arms
PART 7 – Transmigration
28 Words and Music
29 ‘Woza Friday’
30 Making Records, Changing Hearts
31 The River
Epilogue
Family Postscript
Editor’s Note
What Followed


Foreword
There is so much to be said about Johnny Clegg, of his intellect and his culture, but I would like to give more of a personal account of the man I worked with and counted as a friend.
I first met John in a half-vacant building in downtown Johannesburg where many artists hired rooms to rehearse in. I was there with some bands I worked with and bumped into him as he was coming up the stairs carrying a large drum. I was surprised to see an act like Johnny Clegg carrying his own equipment and rehearsing in these facilities. Juluka had already started making a name for themselves in South Africa. I congratulated him on Juluka’s success as I knew how hard it was for this kind of act to break into the music market. He was gracious and humble and then he asked what I was doing there. I explained that I had some bands playing at a small festival at Kloofendal over the upcoming weekend and they were rehearsing in the building.
To my amazement that Saturday I saw John standing against a wall away from the crowd. It caused great excitement among the new bands that Johnny Clegg had come. He seemed to be interested in what was happening with new music and bands and was there to show his support.
We spent some time in conversation about the local music industry and our paths crossed often after that encounter but I only officially started working with John some years later when he joined EMI and we interacted in a record company capacity.
Before Hilton Rosenthal started his own label and took Juluka with him, he was with GRC, a major record company, and it was Hilton who got the band into a studio and let them write songs without any restraints. Many people in the industry told him that it wouldn’t work but he gave them full freedom to create their unique sound. At this stage it was very hard to get airplay on South African stations that belonged to the SABC, the state-controlled public broadcaster, but Hilton persisted. A tiny station, Capital Radio, which operated out of the Transkei, and Swazi Music Radio, which broadcast from Swaziland, were willing to play some Juluka tracks and, slowly but surely, other stations followed. But getting airplay always remained something of a challenge in those early days.
In 1985 Juluka played The Concert in the Park at Ellis Park Stadium to the largest concert audience ever seen there – in excess of 100 000 people – before and since. And I’d never seen South African fans erupt as they did when John took to the stage. Every person in the stadium was moving to ‘Scatterlings of Africa’. Sadly, that would be one of Juluka’s last performances, but it was a momentous one.
Jim Beach, the manager of Queen, once remarked to me that if you want to manage an artist successfully you have to be their biggest fan. In my case it wasn’t hard.
John had just formed Johnny Clegg and Savuka when I left EMI in 1988 to start my own artist management company and I approached him to join us. He agreed and a 32-year-long journey began. Our intention was to build Savuka into South Africa’s biggest live act. We started with a series of shows at the Market Theatre, then the Market Warehouse, and soon Savuka were playing arenas. For many years John and I disagreed over what we spent on show productions. He’d always say to me, ‘Whether we have 20 lights or 200 lights the same number of people are going to come.’ And I would say, ‘Yes, but we want them to come back. And we need to compete with international acts.’
Eventually we agreed that my percentage would be increased, but I would carry the costs of the production. This arrangement worked well and allowed us to concentrate on our respective roles, which we trusted each other with. But that didn’t mean John wouldn’t still, when arriving at a sound check, look up at the big screens and lights and stand there, shaking his head. ‘Rods, you’re crazy,’ he would say.
John hated being away from his wife Jenny when she couldn’t accompany him on tour. The first thing he’d do after disembarking a plane, wherever it was – this was in the days before cellphones – was find a phone and call her. He was passionate about his family and he always put them first. Whenever we were on tour overseas John’s usual purchases were books and jackets, but when his first son Jesse was born, toy stores replaced bookstores. I’ll never forget standing on the pavement outside Hamley’s in London with their in-store security person going through a large bag of dinosaurs that had set off an alarm as we were leaving. They were for Jaron, Jenny and John’s second son, who was a serious dinosaur enthusiast. The guilty dinosaur that hadn’t been detagged was the one that Jaron wanted the most. We were already late for our flight but John would rather have missed it than arrive home without that one. Indeed, much time in those days was spent counting the digits and inspecting the features of toy dinosaurs when shopping to ensure that they were anatomically correct because Jaron knew exactly how many spikes they were supposed to have (they ranged from four to 10) and John respected that.
If his family wasn’t on tour with him, when the tour ended John would fly back on the first available flight. He’d also insist on driving back after a show if it was within three hours of home, something which concerned me as we’d frequently only finish a show at 11 pm. I’d make him promise he’d sleep over and drive in the morning, but in the morning when I’d be checking out and asked reception to call him down, I’d be informed that Mr Clegg had left last night (usually with a nervous band or crew member to keep him company while John sped down the highway home). I recall many times in a car with John, my eyes fixed in front of me while John at the wheel talked animatedly about something or other, gesturing enthusiastically with his hands to illustrate a point, and looking at me instead of the road ahead.
When Jesse was a baby John did a massive world tour and he and Jenny spent months on the road with John. The fans in France became really fond of Jesse and would stand outside the tour bus chanting his name, wanting to see him. John was never short of invitations after a show, but he enjoyed nothing more than having dinner with his family or going home to them. No matter how much he enjoyed a show, nothing brought him more joy than his family. His patience and the way he communicated with his sons left a lasting impression on me. When my own son was born John and I would discuss fatherhood. I’ll always remember him telling me that the most important thing you can do as a father is to teach your child a good value system that they can draw on to make decisions in life.
I never met anyone with the work ethic that John had, and he