Pick it Up: Penny Penny and "Shibandzu"

From South Africa comes our random tune and a great story to go with it! Shibandza is by Penny Penny, a South African janitor who in 1991 approached Afrobeat producer Joseph Shirimani and asked to work with him. Shirimani agreed after hearing him sing, and they cut a number of songs including Shaka Bundu which became a hit in southern Africa. The songs were notable because they were sung in the Tsonga language - music in that language usually didn't produce hits. After initial success, Penny Penny fell off the radar for 20 years. He spent his time touring relentlessy to make money as many pirated copies of his music were floating around. He then became a councillor in the African National Congress. It wasn't until Brian Shimkovitz, a former music publicist who owns the Afrobeat music blog Awesome Tapes from Africa, heard a cassette of his music. He released an album of Penny's Penny's music in 2013, including his hit Shaka Bundu as well as other songs recorded by Penny in 1994. The album became a hit and led to a Penny Penny tour of America. This song, Shibandza, is from that 2013 CD titled Shaka Bundu.