Mathaka, Vol. 1

Mathaka Vol 1 is a 1983 album by the Makgona Tsohle Band, the instrumental backing group for Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, all of whom were based as musicians in the Mavuthela Music subsidiary of Gallo Africa. Mathaka Vol 1 was the first album by the Makgona Tsohle Band after reuniting in early 1983 - they had disbanded circa 1977, though each member continued to work in the music industry, either as session musicians, producers, or a combination of the two. Both guitarist Marks Mankwane and saxophonist West Nkosi became musician-producers; Nkosi in particular became one of the top producers at Mavuthela, producing acts such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mpharanyana, and Amaswazi Emvelo among others, whilst Mankwane produced other high-selling groups like Abafana Baseqhudeni and Walter and the Beggers, in addition to being the sole mentor and arranger for the popular Mahotella Queens. The idea to reunite came as a result of Nkosi's clinching a deal with the SABC to co-produce a possible television series for the newly introduced black service in the country. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathaka...) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)