After the Soweto student uprising of 1976 and its violent suppression, young South Africans stepped up the fight against apartheid. In this context, traditional pop and mbaqanga gave way to music modeled on American soul, and later disco. Soul bands like the Movers rarely addressed politics directly, but they rejected the ethnic associations used to divide people under apartheid and embraced the international sound purveyed by the likes of Wilson Pickett and Percy Sledge.

The Soul Brothers, the band that would most successfully realize the South African soul concept, grew out of a group called the Groovy Boys in Natal in 1970, led by bassist Zenzele "Zakes" Mchunu. Mchunu, along with drummer David Masondo and guitarist Tuza Mthethwa, went to work in textile factory when the Groovy Boys failed to pay the rent. They changed the group's name to Young Brothers, but the real turning point came when they moved to Johannesburg. Life was tough for the band as they sought jobs and lived in abandoned buildings. Their first break came when they recorded with The Mthembu Queens. In 1974, they changed their name to Soul Brothers. David Masondo came forward to sing with his unique, quavering voice. The band then recruited organist Moses Ngwenya in 1976, and he added a unique, Booker T, Jimmy Smith element with his powerful Hammond B-3 playing. From the moment they recorded their first two singles in 1976, the Soul Brothers were consistent hit makers.

The band's township jive and mbaqanga beats, combined with Ngwenya's billowing organ riffs and Masondo's shimmering, breathy vocal sound, caught on fast and inspired many imitators. A series of untimely deaths then hit the band, starting in 1979 when Tuza Mthethwa and one of the sax players died in a car accident. The band's stylish rhythm guitarist American Zulu left the band in 1982, and in 1984, founding member Zakes Mchunu also died in a car crash. David Masondo and Moses Ngwenya faced a moment of truth at this point, and even considered disbanding the group out of fear that it was somehow jinxed. But they found the strength to go on, and the 13-piece juggernaut lineup they created in 1985 is still going strong today. Featuring five singers with tight dance moves, and three saxophones led by sax jive veteran Thomas Phale, the Soul Brothers' teamwork on stage in legendary, and now world famous following international releases and tours in the 1990s. Even before their first international tour in 1990, the Soul Brothers had sold four million albums in South Africa, and they remain the one township jive act to survive the rise of disco, bubblegum, and now kwaito music. With over 30 albums to their credit, the Soul Brothers now operate recording studios, a record company and a publishing business. They stand as one of the great success stories of South African music.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre