Top 5 Places You Have Heard Ladysmith Black Mambazo

With a career spanning more than 40 years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has worked with some of the greats. Their Grammy Award-winning music is known for combining South African rhythms and harmonies with the spirit of gospel music to create a sound that “gets into the blood.” Even if you don’t have their albums, they have probably graced your TV or playlist more than once.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo will be performing at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, February 1, so we thought it would be fun to mention some of their other work.

Top 5 Places You Have Heard Ladysmith Black Mambazo

#5: Performances with Popular Musicians
Ladysmith Black Mambazo has collaborated with a wide spectrum of recording artists from Stevie Wonder to Dolly Parton and Ben Harper to George Clinton, just to name a few.

#4: Lifesavers Commercials
Search for it on YouTube, and you'll instantly recognize it. “Lifesavers… Yum.”

#3: Movie Soundtracks 
If you have kids, you’ve probably heard Ladysmith Black Mambazo on “Disney’s The Lion King Part II.” Their music can also be found in movies like “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy and Sean Connery’s “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”

#2: Paul Simon’s “Graceland” 
Working with Paul Simon on “Graceland” helped launch Ladysmith Black Mambazo to worldwide fame.

#1: Sesame Street's “African Alphabet”
Obviously, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is comprised of people rather than puppets, but this performance with Kermit is one of the most commonly requested “Sesame Street” segments.