MANGO GROOVE
Based in Johannesburg
www.mangogroove.co.za mangogroove.com
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Mango Groove is an 11 piece Afropop group formed in 1983 in Johannesburg, South Africa and fronted by lead singer Claire Johnston. They have sold more than a million albums in South Africa alone, mostly with the popular song "Dance Some More".
History
Mango Groove exploded onto the South African cultural landscape with their eponymous1 st album in December 1989. The album was the culmination of several years of false starts and the sorts of experiences so typically associated with a multi-generational, non-racial band trying to make its way through South Africa in the '80's. These were the times of near-miss record deals, lofty and unfulfilled promises, Doornfontein Disco No-Shows, End Conscription Campaign bashes, higgledy-piggledy varsity tours and Jameson's late-nighters.
With the release of the first album, everything changed, and the group hurtled into a maelstrom of unforgettable adventures and heady experiences Sales of the first album alone rocketed to over 250 000, with 3 multi-platinum albums following, and for the following few years Mango took on the country in a series of spectacular shows and tours that continue to hold SA records today: 6 consecutive sold-out shows at the Standard Bank arena (in one weekend, nogal!), 6 sold-out shows at the Sun City Superbowl, and an astonishing 25 000 people at Greenpoint Stadium, Cape Town (an absolute first for any SA act).
Globally, the Mango Groove sound ignited crowds everywhere, with tours of France , Germany , the UK , Australia and the Far East . Highlights included playing to over 200 000 people at the SOS Racism concert in Paris, performing at the official handover of Hong Kong to China, receiving 3 encores at the Montreux Jazz Festival and headlining the African component of the Freddy Mercury Tribute concert, broadcast to over a billion people.
Typical Corporate performance: 2 X 45 min sets
Looking Ahead
The 'Love Songs and Lullabies' project is the first new offering from Mango Groove in several years. This is not to say that the founder members haven't been busy.
As John explains, 'the decision to put Mango Groove on a relative backburner was primarily a creative one on our part. We have had so much support from the SA public and media through the years: sales on the old albums are still great, and we continue to receive amazing airplay across all station. On the back of this, I suppose, and after many years of fairly intense touring and recording, we definitely felt the urge to explore other projects and other creative outlets.
Projects the founder members Claire Johnston, Mduduzi Magwaza and John Leyden have been involved in during the last few years have included the following:
• Claire's two successful solo albums , ''Fearless'' (recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in the UK ) and ''Africa Blue'' (a Big Band celebration of the songs of the African Diaspora)
• Claire's collaboration with Jeff Maluleke in the official song for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and Claire's unforgettable renditions of the SA National Anthem at various SA Rugby internationals
• John and Mduduzi's collaboration on the recently-released ''Boere Kwela'' penny whistle CD, which draws together the influences of Boeremusiek and South African 50's Kwela music.
• Mduduzi's world tours with the Soweto String Quartet
• John's collaboration with internationally acclaimed playwright Paul Slabolepszy in creating 'Gladlands', an all-new South African stage musical heading for our stages soon.
• The release of a limited edition CD called 'Starehe: An African Day', in partnership with Amarula Cream. The album features Claire and Jeff Maluleke, and showcases a host of Pan African sounds, styles and languages. The CD is only available from www.africageographic.com , and all proceeds will be going to certain specified conservation causes.
• John's production and writing (with a host of top SA artists) of the ''Rights Africa '' human rights awareness CD , which became the official CD for the World Conference on Racism.
• John's production of the best-selling ''South African Penny Whistle Classics'' , featuring the late great penny whistle icon 'Big Voice Jack' Lerole.
On the back of all the above, and in the words of Duzi, a new Mango Groove release 'just felt right'. As Duzi explains: 'A lot of things came together, the timing was right and it felt good to get back into the studio on specifically Mango material. I'm really excited about the new tracks, and they definitely bode well for an all-new Mango Groove album in 2007' On the live side, and as Claire explains, 'Mango Groove have quite consciously stayed off the public circuit for a while now, and I suppose this created the impression that we weren't working together at all. The band has remained a tight-knit unit, however, and with the new album out we are definitely looking forward to hitting the road again. Live shows were always a key part of the Mango Groove experience, and the group is sounding better than ever.' |
