After Bob Marley’s death in 1981 there was a void in the reggae firmament. No one was matching his level of international impact, and a more hedonistic style of dancehall reggae became prominent. But in 1985, in apartheid South Africa, there rose a powerful artist using reggae to deliver inspirational messages and social commentary: Lucky Dube. Within three years he became not only an African superstar but through widespread international touring and incendiary performances a genuine force on the world stage. Though his songs were often banned by the South African government, Lucky Dube managed to deliver his message and was able to see the end of apartheid in 1994. Lucky continued to release acclaimed albums and make celebrated tours until he was tragically murdered in a failed car-jacking in a suburb of Johannesburg in 2007; he was only 43. In celebration of Lucky Dube’s tremendous legacy, on November 15, 2024, Shanachie Entertainment will release a special vinyl LP 60th Birthday Edition of his classic “Prisoner” album as part of a worldwide celebration of Lucky’s great contribution to humanity.
Prisoner, which in 1990 became Lucky Dube’s second U.S. release, is widely regarded as his greatest album. The title track presents a metaphorical representation of the suffering of people trapped under the dehumanizing apartheid regime in poignant lyrics such as “I’m a prisoner/I asked die policeman…how much most I pay for my freedom?/ he said to me, son/ Dey won’t build no schools anymore/All they’ll build will be prison, prison.” “War and Crime” explicitly calls to “bury down apartheid/fight down war and crime/racial discrimination/tribal discrimination.” “Remember Me,” is a moving plea from a son to an absentee father, based on Lucky’s own life. It’s all held together by indelible and evocative melodies reminiscent of Lucky’s hero, Peter Tosh.
The 60th Birthday Edition of “Prisoner”, marking 60 years since Lucky’s birth (August 3, 1964), is a vinyl LP release featuring the original artwork of the South African release, two previously unreleased bonus tracks recorded live in Uganda, and a special insert with all the song lyrics and rare photos of Lucky. The album is re-mastered for ideal analog sonic presentation.
“…Pop warmth, radiating from low to upper register with echoes of Pete Tosh and Jimmy Cliff respectively…a fine voice and enduring power.”–BBC
Lucky Dube (and “Lucky” is his real name) was born August 3,1964 in the rural area of Ermelo, South, Africa, about 100 miles east of Johannesburg. Growing up desperately poor, with an absent father and a mother who had to go to Johannesburg to find work, Lucky was largely raised by his grandmother and began working as early as age five. Though starting school late, he became an apt student with a love of music from an early age playing in a rock band in high school. By age 16, he had begun performing music professionally, playing mainly the Zulu pop style of mbaqanga, scoring at hit with a tune called “Mama.” At the instigation of his manager/producer Richard Siluma, who was also his cousin, Lucky began performing reggae songs in his concerts which generated a great response. In 1985, against the wishes of his record company and even his own uncertainty, Lucky recorded a reggae EP, Rastas Never Dies. Despite the limited success of that EP, he took the budget for his next mbaqanga album and recorded Slave, a full reggae album which became South Africa’s all-time best-selling album. The title track, though ostensibly about alcohol addiction, resonated on another level to people suffering under apartheid. Soon Lucky was performing and become a star across Africa and then Europe. With the release of Slave by Shanachie in the United States in 1988, Lucky embarked on a massive coast-to-coast tour of the States, thrilling audiences with his fourteen-piece band and high-energy performances lasting two hours or more. He remarked that in Africa people would riot if he only performed two hours. This was the sort of reggae concert experience people had been longing for since the passing of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Lucky always made sure to include a distinctive South African flavor via mbaqanga-style organ and timbale riffs in his version of classic roots reggae.
“Extraordinary!-–PETER GABRIEL
In ensuing years, Lucky Dube went from strength to strength with a series of powerful albums and incessant touring all over the world. A hallmark of Lucky as an artist and a person was his humility as well as his sense of humanity transcended superficial divisions of race, culture, or ideology. He saw music as a force to bring people together and he succeeded in doing just that throughout his extraordinary rise from abject poverty to international fame.
By Shanachie
