Nobesuthu Gertrude Mbadu Shawe (born April 26, 1945) is a South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n mbaqanga

Mbaqanga

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:...

singer, and a singer in the acclaimed group the Mahotella Queens

Mahotella Queens

The Mahotella Queens are a South African singing group formed in 1964 comprising Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu Mbadu and Mildred Mangxola...

. Mbadu was born in Durban, South Africa and was raised by her father Ferguson Mbadu and her grandmother, Selinah Mbadu.

Early life

Mbadu was a singer in both her school and church choirs, and was a member of the acclaimed Amangeyami group. She was spotted by EMI 'black music' talent scout Max Gcaba, who recruited her to EMI where she made several recordings under the name 'Gcaba Sisters'. Rupert Bopape, the black music talent scout for Gallo Record Company

Gallo Record Company

Gallo Record Company is the largest record label in Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Avusa Limited . The current Gallo Record Company is a hybrid of two rival South African record labels between the '40s and '80s: the original Gallo Africa and G.R.C...

 (and producer of Gallo's black music unit Mavuthela Music Company) managed to persuade her to move to his stable in 1965. She agreed and was subsequently recruited into his new female group, the Mahotella Queens

Mahotella Queens

The Mahotella Queens are a South African singing group formed in 1964 comprising Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu Mbadu and Mildred Mangxola...

 alongside fellow group members Hilda Tloubatla

Hilda Tloubatla

Hilda Semola Tloubatla is a South African mbaqanga singer, and the lead singer of the acclaimed group the Mahotella Queens. Tloubatla was born in Payneville, Springs in South Africa before moving to kwaThema township in 1951 as a result of the apartheid government's 'Group Areas Act' in the...

, Mildred Mangxola

Mildred Mangxola

Nontsomi Mildred Mangxola is a South African mbaqanga singer, and a singer in the acclaimed group the Mahotella Queens. Mangxola was born in Benoni, Johannesburg, in South Africa, and loved singing from a young age...

, Juliet Mazamisa and Ethel Mngomezulu. The five Queens were then paired with a mbaqanga instrumental team, the Makgona Tsohle Band

Makgona Tsohle Band

The Makgona Tsohle Band was a South African instrumental band that is noted for creating the mbaqanga music style. The group was formed in 1964 at Mavuthela , and became the Mavuthela house band. It garnered success by backing fellow Mavuthela-Gallo stars, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens...

 and the gruff, "groaning" vocals of Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde

Mahlathini

Simon 'Mahlathini' Nkabinde was a South African mbaqanga singer. Known as the "Lion of Soweto" Nkabinde is the acknowledged exponent of the deep-voiced, basso profundo "groaning" style that came to symbolize mbaqanga music in the 1960s...

, and the whole band

Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens

Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens was a South African mbaqanga supergroup composed of:...

 received instant fame.

In 1971, several original Mahotella Queens, including Mbadu, left to pursue other directions in the music business, and so an entirely new line-up of Queens was formed. Mbadu joined rival group Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje, along with Queens lead singer Hilda Tloubatla.

International fame

In 1983, the five original Queens (Tloubatla, Mbadu, Mangxola, Mazamisa and Mngomezulu) were reunited with Mahlathini and the Makgona Tsohle Band. Their comeback release, Amaqhawe Omgqashiyo

Amaqhawe Omgqashiyo

Amaqhawe Omgqashiyo was the first release by Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens after their comeback in 1983. The group was reunited by Marks Mankwane...

, was a hit in South Africa. Due to the success of Paul Simon

Paul Simon

Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...

's Graceland

Graceland (album)

Graceland was Paul Simon's highest charting album in the U.S. in over a decade, reaching #3 in the national Billboard charts, receiving a certification of 5× Platinum by the RIAA and eventually selling over 14 million copies, making it Simon's most commercially successful album...

1986 album and tour (in which he collaborated with Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland and have won multiple awards, including three Grammy Awards...

, Stimela

Stimela

Stimela is a South African Afro-fusion band, founded by Ray Phiri in 1982 after his previous band the Cannibals disbanded. They created Fire, Passion and Ecstasy , Look, Listen and Decide .-Members:*Ray Phiri, lead guitar, lead vocals...

and others), South African music was in demand. Three of the original Queens, Tloubatla, Mbadu and Mangxola, were reunited once more with their bandmates. Their international popularity was profound.

Even after the deaths of Mahlathini and several members of the Makgona Tsohle Band, the three Queens (who are all grandmothers and are over sixty years old) remain at the helm today and Mbadu continues to be a part of the Mahotella Queens today.