Formed in Johannesburg in 1981, comprising several veterans who had been part of the South African music scene for years. They evolved out of The Cannibals with Ray Phiri (guitar), Isaac Mtshali (drums), Lloyd Lelosa (keyboards), Jabu Sibumbe (bass) and Charles Ndlovu (synthesizer).
While Phiri and Mtshali had been members of The Cannibals, Lelosa and Sibumbe joined from The Movers. In 1985 Janji Mayo replaced Jabu Sibumbe.
In 1982 they released their first album Mama Wami and in 1983 “they released their first (12”) single “I Hate Telling A Lie”/“I Love You.
During the 1980s they released several classic albums such as Fire, Passion, Ecstasy (1984), Shadows, Fear and Pain (1985), Look, Listen and Decide (1986), Unfinished Story (1987) and Trouble In The Land of Plenty (1989).
They worked with Paul Simon on the Graceland album, bringing international attention to their music. In 1992 Ray Phiri left the group to embark on a solo career. The band continued with releases into the 1990s and a much later album, A Lifetime … in 2010.
