Legendary Afropop band Mango Groove is marking their 40th anniversary this year and took a trip down memory lane to share some of the historic moments of their career.
Renowned for their unique fusion of pop and township music, including marabi and kwela influences, the 11-piece band fronted by vocalist Claire Johnson has left an indelible mark on the South African music scene since their inception in Johannesburg in 1984.
The band will be livening up the KDay stage taking place tomorrow for the fourth time in a row.
Starting out as a trio called Pett Frog in 1984, bandmates John Leyden, Andy Craggs and Bertrand Mouton called themselves a “white middle-class punk band”.
The University of the Witwatersrand students were later joined by 17-year-old singer Claire and eventually decided on Mango Groove as their name.
Claire says: “The idea was to find a name that evoked a sense of fun and tropical fruitiness, along with the sexist pun, not realising that it would last as long as it has.”
The band has released six studio albums and numerous singles, including the evergreen Special Star, Dance Sum More, Nice To See You and Pennywhistle.
Claire, who joined the group as a bright-eyed teenager, recalls the first time she performed with them, saying she was a bit overwhelmed by their wealth of experience.
She says: “At my first rehearsal there was no microphone, so the band only heard me sing properly at the actual gig.”
Another momentous highlight for Mango Groove was performing at the 1994 inauguration of President Nelson Mandela.
Claire says: “It was a time of so much hope where South Africa was finally a part of the world again and the concert was satellite-linked around the globe.”