1001 Other AlbumsFeb 22, 2025

Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks – The Best of Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks (1956-59, South Africa)

Our next spotlight is on number 227 on The List, submitted by platenworm. The Skylarks (fka The Sunbeams) were an all-woman South African jazz & jive vocal group, founded by the soon-to-be iconic Miriam Makeba upon request of Gallo Records. The Skylarks quickly became South Africa’s most popular group, but, after only 3 short years, they disbanded when Makeba left South Africa to further pursue her solo career. This compilation gathers 18 of the 100+ songs the band recorded together.

Want to read more? See the full spotlight: https://1001otheralbums.com/2025/02/21/miriam-makeba-the-skylarks-the-best-of-miriam-makeba-the-skylarks-1956-59-south-africa/

Want to skip straight to the music? This comp isn't on streaming platforms, but here's a YT playlist link to a similar comp (more links in the blog post, including Bandcamp): http://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaxTNbbMJKB8QAUNlZ-Jen2D-_GHYsU1n

#TheSkylarks #MiriamMakeba #1001OtherAlbums #SouthAfricanMusic #SouthAfricanJazz #jazz #1950s #JohannaRadebe #MaryRabotapi #MummyGirlNketle #HelenVanRensburg #AbigailKubeka

Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks – The Best of Miriam Makeba & The Skylarks (1956-59, South Africa)

A spotlight on The Skylarks, a short-lived South African vocal group founded by the iconic Miriam Makeba.

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When updating The Index on the blog with the link to this post, I came across an obituary notice for Skylarks member Mary Rabotapi (who died in 2010) that states that the group continued after Miriam Makeba left South Africa, and that they recruited Letta Mbulu as the new lead. It doesn’t indicate, however, if the band’s name changed. Does anyone know? Discogs does list Mbulu as a Skylarks member, at any rate, but I hadn't seen that noted elsewhere.

#TheSkylarks #LettaMbulu #SouthAfricanMusic

Feb 22, 2025 at 5:43pmWeb